#will turners very distant relative

[wr1t3w1tm3]

Descendent

PotC 5/Modern/Will out of Water AU.

Characters: Will Turner, Calypso, Original Female Character

SFW. Like, completely. Just some curses.

Authors note: I broke a couple rules I think, but I don't care, this is my AU.

Words: 4,737

As the centuries melt together, Captain William Turner of the Flying Dutchman finds himself further inland and farther downstream than he could’ve ever imagined. A multitude of maritime disasters fling him from one corner of the world to the other. The Dutchman serves through wars, accidents, and genocides. As the 18th century spills over, the load only increases. Of course, one would expect that as more men's souls were brought into the world, he would be required to guide an equal portion more from it. Except the sea and all her tributaries have never been truly tame. It seems just as men grow complacent with the waters; he is forced to compensate for their malignity. 

The strain nearly ends him. While Elizabeth had been alive, it hadn't been pleasant. But back then, he had a rock, a lighthouse to guide him and remind him what might happen if he forsook such a sacred duty. Even when she passed - to sudden for her to make arrangements to join his crew - he’d had Henry, their son. Henry married a young astronomer named Carina, the daughter of the captain who wed the Captain and the King. Henry had waited, watching dutifully and bringing his children. Then once, he supposes around his 12th land fall, he arrives to find the lodgings of his relations ransacked and in a shoddy state of disrepair, unlived in for some time. There is nothing to indicate where they went. All that he can conjecture from the men he brings aboard and what he knows of recent history is perhaps, he prays perhaps, they faced an uprising and fled. Though whether that be the fledgling America, the southern colonies or bloody England he’s sure he’ll never know. 

It almost breaks him, but the images of Jones, his cruelty and the cool steel of the sword that hangs from his hip is just enough to keep him on course. 

It is then he begins finding himself in freshwater. Sometimes up river. It happens most often on the Thames in England, the Saint Lawrence in the northern colonies, the Amazon to the south and the American Mississippi. The 19th century bleeds into the 20th, and soon he has a new death chamber with which to contend: the aeroplane. 

In that century alone he sails through wars, plane crashes, mass suicides in the East and submarines in the West. Mortal men seem to have contented themselves with finding every manner of deadly metal tube and loading themselves into it for travel. He has never seen the oceans so red with blood. Some nights, in the diming lights and the suns wavering rays, the sea seems to dye itself purple. The quantity nearly pushes him over once again, but all of a sudden, in what he thinks is the last decades of that century, the occurrences requiring his presence drop drastically, though the sheer number of souls he ferries from each local increases exponentially. Now he more often than naught finds himself sailing through a valley of broken stragglers, immigrants and refugees fleeing from the latest conflict at the hands of angry men. 

Fewer and fewer sailors pass at sea. Fewer and fewer join his crew, and he is slowly beginning to lose his battle with his duties. It becomes a matter not of if, but rather when he will. Until one particular morning, on which he awakes in the Dutchman’s captain’s quarters, and all is quiet. It is his first clue as to something amiss, but he is grateful for the calm this once. It is hardly ever calm aboard the Dutchman.

He takes to the deck, finding the wheel to determine a heading. It seems already determined for him this day, as the Dutchman has surfaced up a river. In fact, he squints to make out the dots in the distance, he’s far up a river, near what seems to be an inhabited city. 

That’s not something he sees everyday. It’s his third strike. He scans the deck, the bow, the crows nest. Theres nary a soul aboard except his own. 

“William Turna’”. He near scowls, but turns to his guest. She is not near how he remembers her last. While her clothes are similar, a mix of tropical prints, naturally woven bits and a fur of some kind: and her countenance has not changed, her form most certainly has. It is not flesh and bone that stands before him, but rather water in the form of this woman from many lifetimes ago. 

“Calypso,” he says, his voice gruff from disuse. An urge arises to bow, he ignores it. “What is the nature of this… visit?”

Her voice warbles with the waters flow. “T’ere’s been an unfo’seen development in ‘da ways of t’is wo’ld Captain Turna’.” She steps forward, and he slides back. The wheel is in his back. “Da te’ms of yous agreemen’ ‘board da Dutchman are changin’.”

Will’s stomach drops. “What has changed?” 

He wants to beg, ask what he’s done. Surely, there hasn’t been anything? He’s faithfully fulfilled his duties over all these centuries. And had he not, the sea would’ve already claimed him. 

A cool wind arises, pushing his hair across the nape of his neck. A spray is forced from Calypso’s countenance, only to disappear as soon as it’s caught his eye. “T’ings are changin’ in da wo’ld of da gods, William Turna’. You mo’tals was not built to bear no divine load.” 

Anticipation rises in his chest. Had he a heart, he’s sure it would’ve begun to race. It must be racin’, in that blasted metal box he’s since lost track of. Calypso continues, enigmatic and cool “Fa now, the Dutchman’s ta’ remain docked ‘ere. Ya crew’s off ta fiddla’s green or da locka’, judgement dependin’. You, William Turna’, will be allowed ta shore from dawn’s fi’st ligh’ to dusks final gleam. Only in the da’k must ya remain ‘board dis vessel. Every moment da light touches is yours, not jus da one day.”

He’s… he’s stunned. And thrilled! Suddenly he’s been given the opportunity of his lifetime, to visit land more often than once a decade! Of course, the first blasted thing out of his mouth is “And what of the souls I’m supposed to lead? What should become of them?”

“Anoda’ ferry man’ll serve in ya stead.” Calypso’s voice is stern. Perhaps not angry but reaching that cusp none the less. They pause a moment, and he listens. To the birdsongs in the woods against the rivers shore, a faint sound of chugging that must be some new-fangled thing he’s heard of yet never seen. The water of the river rushes along, but the water makin’ up Calypso’s countenance only rustles, barely moving. 

“But what should I do? I know no living souls…” what of my heart?

Calypso’s voice rises. She cuts him off.. “Yous not been brought ‘ere fur no reason, William Turna’! One of yur’ heirs is close, and to dem you might go! Tea conditions of yous ‘ternal life remain, you’ll not want for food nor drink nor sleep though they be available to ya’!”

The water of Calypso has grown cloudy, swirling as he’s no doubt raised her ire. Not a swell idea, lad he scolds himself. The form before him flows apart, seeming ‘bout to return to its source. “How will I know that this reprieve has ended?!”

Of course he had to ask. This time, she practically screams “Yous will know when ya know, Turna!” and with a sudden splash, she’s gone. Water slaps against it’s source below his deck, and when he turns to face his port there is a gang plank, extended to the shoreline. 

Something in him jumps, though surely not his heart. Clad in warm weather wear, Will hastens to his cabin to change into something more suitable. His boots clump against the wooden beams as he finds a shirt and a coat, as it was rather cool that morning. He sets his sword at his hip, and with care to tie the knot of his bandana tightly, he looks himself over once in the mirror - maroon does look quite nice on him, as Elizabeth had pointed out so many centuries ago - and to the gang plank he’s off. 

It’s an odd thing, really. The gang plank had mostly been for his men, to return to shore when the need arose. He’d only used it a few times, when the ropes would not suffice to board a doomed vessel or for the brief day he’d spent on some criminal island a few decades after loosing track of Henry. He’d rarely left the Dutchman since then. As such, he’d never seen anything such as he had now. He slunk down the gang plank, careful of a few raised bars, and set his boots upon dry land for the first time in at least a century. 

Even with his more recent escapades into freshwater, Will has never had the luxury of observing the rivers surroundings with much scrutiny. Here, one shore lines the river with a dense forest. The trees are tall though scraggly, their leaves aflame in orange, red, and yellow. A green few are still visible, and the grass beneath his boots remains green as well. On the opposite shore - off his port - is a flat expanse near far as the eye can see, covered in drying fields of some crop he cannot identify. And just as the horizon fades, huge hills, near mountains, jut up from nowhere, dense with much the same foliage as on the shore he walks. 

There are birds that he hears on occasion, but it seems his foot falls have scared most of the wildlife from ear shot. He thinks to himself that it’s not my fault there’s so many twigs to snap along this trail. He follows it up from the shore, up a steep hill and to a narrow, more traveled path that winds towards a clearing. 

This clearing turns out to be some sort of graveyard, over which watches a large stone cross. Will stops at the edge of the clearing, a moment of silence for those who’re interned there. It’s an odd thing to see now, after so long at sea where there are no graveyards. And if he remembers correctly, there are rarely graveyards this close to the shore. However, as he glances behind and notices the drop off, both the grave yards placement and also the fence at the edge of the little cliff make much more sense. 

A light gray path winds true past the small graveyard and towards the back of some grand building. Will follows the path, and finds his footsteps fall heavier, as the path feels not unlike the cobble roads they’d had in Port Royal all those centuries ago. Then again, they did not look much the same. And times have changed, he reminds himself. Surely most things have changed. 

When he turns the sharp corner with the path, he takes pause under the yellowing branches of a weeping willow, in awe of the great church that stands tall on the bluff. It was assuredly much taller than the Dutchman’s tallest mast, not accounting for the several much taller spires that broached from its roof. He stands in awe for some unknown amount of time, before a sound he can only describe as crunching draws his attention further down the path, to where it winds between this grand church and some run down and weathered hut, its boards grayed with age. Between the two, though much farther back, rises a large building, it’s walls inset with windows four high, made of a red material Will thinks is brick, and some of the same yellowish stone that the church must also be made of. Beyond the path is a large pool of a black material, which is occupied by a few strange looking carriages, mostly of white and red. Cars, he reminds himself. He’d seen a few of them along the ocean floor in the last century. 

There along this black mass is a small hill, which runs straight into a larger hill, on which there seems to be a trodden path. He can just make out around this hill and between what appears to be a fenced sports court is another, longer building. As he moves towards the path, he spots more buildings, most of them the same red brick and yellowed stone, connected by these same gray paths. 

As he crests the first hill, he finds it to be some sort of dike, built perhaps when there was more water in the area. Atop the second hill he finds another gated complex, with a wall of red, silver, and gray seats overlooking a green, lined field surrounded by a red path. He goes further up the hill, towards another flat, black section lined with yellow. This one seems to be connected to a few gray paths that run to several of the other building’s he’s noticed, crisscrossing a green, leaf littered campus that appears rather vacant.

He steps into the black lot, where a few more cars have been left. Something like humming drifts towards him, coming closer until around the corner of the long building appears a sandy gold car. 

Will is taken aback by how quiet it is. Even the Dutchman, in tip top shape, had creaked and groaned with the wind in her sails, and the floor often moaned when paced. This thing is much, much smaller, and as it grows closer it grows only a bit louder. It truly is a marvel what man has come up with in his absence. 

The car begins to slow, then comes to a stop just a few feet before him. The driver - who he can now positively identify as a young woman - looks… bewildered. Spectacles frame her eyes, and her hair is a deep brown, nearly black. Something clinks and the car hums again, this time moving backwards as it’s captain twists to watch over her shoulder. 

Will is dumbstruck. Her eyes… he swears they were Elizabeth’s, the very same. Perhaps… he doesn’t want to get his hopes high… but perhaps she is the descendent Calypso had spoken of. 

He steps into the grass to his port, striding through the dew towards the girl and her car. It makes a sound like a horn as she leaves it. Will picks up his pace. The girl is halfway to the building, walking along another gray path when he calls to her. 

“Miss! Wait!” 

She looks to him, her face pale, and she pauses. Will begins to slow, noticing how her feet shift, and he tries to catch her eyes but they are half closed in fear. Her fist clenches around something purple and triangular, and she sprints down the path. 

“Wait! Please!” He calls after her, and he's off in pursuit. His sword clatters against his thigh. Something on her jingles, and it grows a little louder as he gains ground. 

Unfortunately for him, this girl knows the place. She sprints straight through an enclave in the building. Then across the green, past what appears to be two courts made of sand, spanned by a net about twice as tall as himself. He dodges around the edge as she did, but she isn’t looking back. She’s hurrying forward, breathing hard. He’s breathing hard. He hasn’t had to run for anything really since… it must’ve been at least a few decades. As they run, they cut across several more gray paths, and for a second the crunch of grass gives way to loud, dull foot falls before they fly over grass once more. Only once they’ve started down another smaller hill does he realize how far she’s brought him. He’s been running for at least a couple of minutes, and looming before them is a building, with five sets of windows running up its height, separated from them by some black road made of the same material as the lot he had started after her in. 

He stomps across the hard surface, and jumps over the yellow raised edge onto another gray path. The girl has reached what appears to be a door, and holds something black with yellow spots against the wall next to it. It emits a sharp squeal and clicks, and the girl throws the door open. 

She glances at him, her face seizes when she realizes he’s followed her all this way and isn’t stopping and she sprints inside. 

“Wait!” Will is forced to slow and grab the door as it’s nearly closed. Once inside he hears someone thunder up a set of stairs across the room. He launches himself up, taking them two at a time. They’re solid wood and turn once, 180 degrees. He uses the handy railing to keep himself from slamming into the stone wall. At the top are two doors, one on his starboard which leads outside and one into a hallway at his port. He chooses the port one, forcing himself past a young blonde woman who barely reaches his shoulders. 

The girl slips behind a sort of pillar, and he sprints towards it. There, however, he is greeted with a loud slam as a solid wood door is slammed in his face, nearly impacting it. 

He gets his arms up in time to keep his face from taking any damage. The girl inside screams, and he suddenly realizes why she might’ve run. “I… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” He steps back, heaving in the musky, humid air. 

“Leave right the fuck now or I’m calling the cops!” 

He doesn’t know what the cops are, but that surely can’t be good. “No! Please! Just let me explain!”

“I’m calling them!” She practically sings her shout. 

“Please! Wait!” He slams his fist into the door, and a muffled ‘Jesus’ slips under the door. He seethes, shouting: “My name is William Turner! I believe - though somewhat distantly - we are related!” 

“Yeah right, bitch ass!” The door rattles a bit as she continues, “I’m lookin’ at’cha, and you ain’t look nothin’ like nun’a my relatives.” 

“Please, I promise I can explain! Just… come out! Look me in the eye. You’ll see it, I know.” 

“Fuck that, you’re packin’ heat man! Even I ain’t that stupid!” 

She must be related, judging solely from her abilities to curse worse than even the saltiest sailors Will had known in all his centuries. He glances at the handle, which hangs limp over a keyhole. A lock. A lock he can pick. 

From his hair, Will withdraws a thin, silver pin. The tension against his skull lessens when he does, and he inserts the pin into the lock, making quick work of it. The door swings into the room and he burst in. The girl screams. Will swings around, slams the door, then swings back to her. She’s frozen against a thin sliver of a wall separating two open doors, each of which leads into another room. 

She starts towards the farther of the two, only to stop as Will’s sword slides from its scabbard. He practically has it in her back. Her hands are half raised, level about with her shoulders, which she hunches in.

Her voice wavers. “Don’t… don’t kill me, please.” 

Will snorts, pulling the sword away from her back. “And why would I do such a thing?” 

She doesn’t even pause, “Because you’re a maniac cosplaying as a pirate and running around with a sword and telling people you’re related to them when you aren’t.” 

He stops, and for the first time since he’s lain eyes on her, Will takes a proper look at just what she’s been wearing. Trousers, gray trousers with miniscule vertical lines running the length of them. Her shoes are black and appear to be made of something between leather and cloth. They are laced with dirty white laces and set upon dirty white soles. Her top is a gray sweater, perhaps the only item of clothing he can recognize from memory. Comparing that to his own garb… and he begins to realize another reason she might have chosen to run from him when he first approached. 

“I…” he swallows, sliding his sword back into its scabbard. “I wish to apologize for my… rashness.” 

The girl doesn’t move, nor does she speak, so Will takes a step closer and continues. “However, if you would allow me merely a moment to explain our relation…” 

She groans. “Dude! We are not related!”

He flails for something, anything. “But you have her eyes!”

“Whose eyes!?!”

“Elizabeth’s.” He says softly. 

The girl turns to him, brows furrowed, and her lips pulled into a half frown. “Who the hell is Elizabeth?” 

Will shuts his eyes, the memories flooding back. He’s plenty of them from their late childhood and adolescence, even their early adulthood, but from there they grow in increments of ten, and she is rarely the same in each successive image. But her eyes… the same brown that shifted hazel in the sun and near muddy in the dark. The girl has her eyes. 

“My… my wife.” 

The girl cocks a brow, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed over her chest. “Dude, you can’t be any older than I am. There’s no way we’re related, even if it’s through your wife or whoever.” 

A thread of panic swims across the scar in his chest. The scar where his heart should be, that was carved out when he became the captain…

That’s it! “I… I haven’t a heart.” 

The girl looks disgusted. “And that’s relevant to this conversation how?” 

Will swallows. It’s a crazy, bull-headed plan, but it could work. “I… I have no heart.” He repeats, a smile beginning to creep across his lips. “If I had no heart, I wouldn’t be standing before you, correct?”

“Right…?” She shrugs. “I mean, you look a little young for a pacemaker, but okay.”

Will has no idea what she’s talking about, so he continues, “And what if I told you that it had been carved out when I stabbed the heart of the previous captain of my ship, which is anchored in the river just over this bluff? That bound by its curse I was immortal, and had been sailing the seas, guiding lost souls to the Locker and Fiddler’s Green since the eve of my wedding?” Her lips curl into a snarl, “And that same heart lies in another chest, which I have not been able to find in the two centuries since it’s loss.”

“I’d say you’re fuckin’ crazy, yur talkin’ crazy, an’ I’m callin’ the cops.” She straightens, backing towards the open door just behind her.

“Listen to my heart!” The girl stops, cowering. He’d allowed his desperation to overtake him, dammit, but he needed her to believe him. “And if you don’t find one within my breast, then you will know that I am telling the truth.” She cocks a brow again, and Will realizes he must concede something on the off-chance Calypso has returned his cursed heart to his chest (though thus far all evidence has pointed to the contrary). “And if you should find it’s beat, you may call these cops.” 

“Fine,” she steps into the room and shuts the door. A burst of air pushes past him, rusting his hair. Will returns the pin he’d used to pick the lock to his bandana, and the girl emerges as he brings his hands to his side. She comes bearing a box, which she sets on a sort of tabletop Will had not noticed, nestled ‘tween two walls. It is blue and surrounds a water basin over which some sort of spout sits. The girl lifts the top from the box, and setting it aside, draws out a long cord, with two prongs on one end and a single, circular something on the other. 

“What is that?” he asks. The girl sets it around her neck and steps towards him. 

“A stethoscope. To listen to your heart.” Will now cocks a brow. “What, I'm prenursing, I'm gonna need it eventually.” She takes it from her neck, sticking the two prongs into her ears, and slides the wider of the two circular sides down her shirt. She frowns, pulls it out, turns it so that the shorter side faces her, and tries again. After a moment, her face unscrunches, and she steps towards Will. “Open your shirt.” 

Will opens his coat, revealing his shirt, of which the ties are undone. His scar is partially visible, and the girl cocks her brow again. If all she’s going to do is a cock a brow at anything that even remotely piques her interest, she is going to be very hard to read. “You cool if I touch you?” 

“Yes, of course,” Will mutters, taken aback. He glances around the room, then back to her. Carefully, she sets the smaller circular head against his chest, right along his scar, near the bottom of his sternum. 

Her eyes go wide, and her mouth pops open a bit. She pulls the thing back and flips it once again. “Come on,” she sets it against his chest, but her eyes grow only wider. “No. That’s impossible.” 

Will smirks, setting his hands on his hips. “There is no heartbeat, is there?” 

“Mother fucker...” She taps the part of the thing she’d held against his chest, and instantly her face curls in pain. She pulls the prongs from her ear and sets it back on the counter. “You… you have to have a heartbeat; you’d be dead otherwise.” 

“But I don’t, do I?” Will lets it sink in, and the girl’s eyebrows furrow. “Q.E.D, what I’ve just told you must be true.” 

“Thats scientifically impossible.” She mutters. 

Will groans through a smile. “You sound like Carina.” 

“Who’s Carina?” 

Will takes a breath. The simplest way to describe Carina? What would that be? “She is… my son’s wife. Another very distant relative of yours.” 

“This makes even less sense,” she leans against the other wall, though she’s careful to keep her legs from touching what appears to be a white waste basket below her. “I must’ve crashed on the highway or some shit.” 

“If you would allow me to explain, I believe I could begin to clear things up.” Will offers a hand to shake. “Do we have an accord?”

The girl starts to offer her hand, but stops, eyeing his hip. “Leave the sword here, and we talk in a public place. Then we have a deal.” 

“Agreed.” Will shakes her hand, and as soon as it’s free begins removing his weapons belt. “Now, where should we continue this conversation, miss…” 

“Mary Jones. There’s a coffee shop on campus that’s open today, and I’ve got dining dollars to burn.” 

“Then I’ll follow you, Ms. Jones.” 

“First, give me the sword,” she opens her hands rather expectantly. Will surrenders the scabbard, the girl grabs her stethoscope box, and enters the room she’d retrieved it from. “I can’t have a knife with a blade longer than three inches in here, so this is definitely gonna get me fined, and I’m too broke to afford it.” She sets the stethoscope box on a desk then climbs to the top of two bunk beds as she continues “Second, if my roommates find this, I’m fucked.”

She slides it beneath a mass of blankets and coats fit for the Queen of England, then crawling across the bed, drops to the window ledge on the outer wall, and jumps from that to the ground with a loud thump. 

The bunk bed jimmies just a bit. Mary squeezes past Will, calling over her shoulder “Come on, you were the one who wanted to talk,” she stops in the doorway, hand resting on the knob “and loose the bandanna.”

“Well, I rather like it.”

“Loose it, or no talkie”.

Will concedes, untying the cloth which holds back his hair. It tumbles to his shoulders, and he slips the folded cloth and his silver hair pin into the breast pocket of his coat. “Better?”

“Yeees,” Mary opens the door. “After you.”

“No, after you.”

A slight smile piques her lips “Gallant. Don't see that much anymore.”

She still insists he exit before her, though she thanks him for the hospitality as they walk.

[donniexv]

☆ PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN ; Not all treasure’s silver and gold, mate

JACK SPARROW ;

" This is the day you will always remember as the day you almost caught Captain Jack Sparrow. "

⥼ ✖

ELIZABETH SWANN ;

" I think it'd be rather exciting to meet a pirate. "

⥼ ✖

WILLIAM TURNER ;

" No cause is lost, if there is but one fool left to fight for it. "

⥼ ✖

JAMES NORRINGTON ;

" I intend to see to it that any man who sails under a pirate flag or wears a pirate brand gets what he deserves. "

⥼ ✖

HENRY TURNER ;

" Perhaps we could discuss this later, as I am having trouble hoisting your port! "

⥼ ✖

CARINA SMYTH ;

" So this was your brilliant plan? To be tortured and killed by pirates? "

⥼ ✖

TIA DALMA ;

" You have a touch of destiny about you. "

⥼ ✖

Yes yes, very unusual to include Henry seeing as in all technicality he is infact Elizabeth and Wills son but how about we forget about that part. What I say goes, chat, hate to break it to you but we're going to have him be a distant relative of William instead, let's say him having Will as an uncle of sorts ( deepest apologies I suppose, if you dislike this concept, no blabbering would persuade me from changing it.)

[the-ninja-legacy-whip]

will you be expanding on the the origins and personalaties of the elemental masters from tournamnet and can you share a bit of them

Of course!!!!!!! That's Reason 386974 I wanna get to Season 4 alreadyyyyyy *gnaws door off its hinges* I dun even really wanna talk about it cuz I don't wanna ruin the surprises!! But, perhaps a few short blurbs~

Andrei Karlof- Once an aeronautical engineer out in Metalonia (Western Province), Karlof moved out to Ninjago City to find himself a job that better suited his passion for working creatively with metal–hence why he is now Ninjago City High's metal shop teacher. Inherited the Element of Metal via bloodlines through his father.

Tox Ikita- Originally from a village near the Toxic Bogs (Southern Province), she and her aunt moved out to Ninjago City when she was young to, like most people, find better life opportunities. Found a passion for mixing music and now serves as the Rockshot Club's primary DJ. Inherited the Element of Poison willingly from her aunt (the same way her aunt had received it herself).

Chamille Carmichael- A daughter of the traveling Carmichael family, she reached her True Potential insanely early and grew up having her abilities exploited by her mother, leaving her somewhat jaded as she grew older. She eventually runs away and ultimately disguises herself as a student of Darkley's...until it no longer supports 'evil' children. Inherited the Element of Form via bloodlines from her father, who vanished after a "job" gone wrong.

Viz Paleman- An extremely wealthy man from Astor City out east, he started out as a musician talent scout before shifting into shadier businesses running a casino. Word is he's also some kind of triple secret agent, but believing he's a secret agent to begin with is already hard enough to...see *ba dum tiss*. Inherited the Element of Light willingly from a distant relative (with that distant relative being the EM that Sunni's descended from).

Griffin Turner- Born not too far from Stiix also out east, Griffin moved out to West Haven in order to find a way to "make it big" utilizing his speed, given that the Order would've hindered his power usage had he went to Ninjago City instead. Hasn't quite achieved the dream yet, but so long as he gets to run, he's happy. Inherited the Element of Speed via bloodlines, though it skipped a generation and jumped from his grandfather to him.

Ash Grey- From the Coastal Village (Southern Province), he comes from a long and ancient line of assassins, though his element getting mixed up into that is a relatively "new" development. Is very good at being an assassin, but is constantly on the fence about pursuing the family legacy. Inherited the Element of Smoke via bloodlines from his mother, Misty Grey.

Jacob Pevsner- Born blind but thankfully with an enhanced penchant for hearing, Jacob wound up dragged into the family music business, but luckily came to develop a personal love for it himself. Like Griffin, moved out to West Haven to make a name for himself as a musician. And, unlike Griffin, he was successful. Inherited the Element of Sound via bloodlines from his father, Collin Pevsner.

Gravis Mikhail- A world traveller with no particular attachments to any one place, Gravis uses his powers to carry himself from place to place with little issue, able to evade the terrain issues most people face when trying to cross the Provinces. He primarily spends his time indulging in other cultures, and writes about what he learns in his spare time (which, he has a lot of). Inherited the Element of Gravity willingly from a lover who perished from elemental-related illness (not unlike Lilly and Aurora).

Shade Vespertine- As the oldest child in a huge family with many siblings and even more aunts, uncles, and cousins (and therefore many Elemental Descendants), Shade was "blessed" with being the Inheritor, giving him a lot of unwanted attention both good and bad from the rest of the family. It drove him to constantly seek solitude, which also left him extremely lonely. But once you get past the "lone wolf" exterior, he's...honestly just some guy. Just happens to be a little spooky. And with powers. Inherited the Element of Shadow from his mother.

Apollo "Neuro" Logi- Originally a well-known neuroscientist working under a branch of Borg Industries studying the effects tech has on the brain (even called "Dr. Neuro" until that got shorted to "Neuro") Neuro didn't become the EM of Mind until willingly taking it on from the previous EM (...a child who also reached their potential too soon and was being exploited, thus desperately sought out the help of someone better equipped to handle it. And being able to read minds does make that a somewhat simpler task).

Bolobo- Originating from the Vagabond Plains in the Archipelago, of where its people either venture off seeking adventure or stay in the main village to maintain tradition, Bolobo falls into the latter category, as he much prefers to be somewhere in his Element. Plus, being the latest Inheritor of Nature means special perks from the rest of the village, and he likes to revel in it from time to time (which does annoy his father, but Bolobo's a good seed despite this), and really only answered Chen's call to prove his mettle with the other EMs. Inherited the Element of Nature from his father.

[isadomna]

Robert Redford and Natalie Wood

“I had a wonderful time working with Natalie, not only because of her innate talent, but she also loved to laugh and joke around on the set, and we would tease each other a lot,” - Robert Redford

Natalie Wood met Robert Redford at Van Nuys High School in Southern California when she was a sophomore and he was a senior. Their initial encounter was not a friendly one. Robert was on duty as school assembly guard when Natalie came running to his door, late for the assembly, begging him to let her in. Redford, wanting to be ‘cool’ said she wasn’t allowed to go through his door and she would have to go around to the door that accommodated her last name. Natalie then called him an ‘asshole’ and gracefully went around to her proper door. The two wouldn’t cross paths again for ten years, when Natalie and her Splendor in the Grass co-star Warren Beatty stopped backstage to meet Redford, after catching his performance in the Broadway play Sunday in New York. Natalie claimed she didn’t remember the high school rebuff.

Natalie Wood reportedly recommended Redford to Warner Bros for the 1965 drama Inside Daisy Clover. Robert has always credited Natalie for his being brought into the project in a role that essentially kick started his film career. Natalie later recalled how he eased her nerves during a precarious situation filming in a small boat at the Santa Monica Pier, made even scarier by her fear of water. A gust of wind caused a rogue wave to cast the boat to sea, away from the crew and technicians. “There was no way we could get Natalie and Bob off the boat, and the lines to keep them in place were breaking right and left,” director Robert Mulligan recalled. Despite the danger, Redford maintained a sense of humor that kept Wood relatively calm, earning her trust and beginning an enduring friendship. Rumors of a love affair between them started to circulate. Redford admits that he was very attracted to her, but claims he never touched her, because he “worried about the liabilities of intimacy with the women you act with.”

After a string of relationships with various actors, Natalie Wood met producer Richard Gregson through their mutual friend, Robert Redford; Gregson was Redford’s agent at the time and Redford was best man at their wedding. Natalie y Robert would team up once again in 1966’s This Property Is Condemned. She also appeared in the 1972 political drama, The Candidate, when her old friend asked her to do a cameo. Wood and Redford lost touch shortly after that. Their last encounter was in 1980 when Redford was trying to cast his directorial debut, the gut-wrenching drama Ordinary People, about a family torn apart by a young son’s passing. Natalie, whose career had cooled by this time, coveted the role of the cold, distant mother, but Robert Redford ultimately cast Mary Tyler Moore. Natalie was so upset she never spoke to Redford again feeling it was a betrayal. That was the last communication he had with her before she drowned. This still pains him to this day.

Tragically, in 1981, Natalie Wood lost her life in circumstances that remain mysterious to this day. Robert Redford was understandably left devastated by the loss of his friend, and despite his reputation as a private man, has often spoken about their connection. He narrated a glowing tribute to his former co-star for the Turner Classic Movies network and also agreed to be interviewed for the 2020 HBO documentary about Wood's legacy, What Remains Behind.

[sacredwarrior88]

I Don't Wanna Fight (Spencer Reid x OC)

Summary: Zafina and Spencer have been married for a few years now and even have twin boys together. But their marriage is put to the ultimate test when Spencer is sent to prison and when he is released. Eventually the tension and fighting becomes too much to handle and they separate for some time. But they eventually find their way back to each other and decide to work on their marriage. This is Part 3 in a trilogy and here is Part 1 and Part 2!

Warnings: Mention of sex (18+ only), arguing, sexting (one-sided), harassment, cheating accusations

Tagging: @reidsbtch @reiderwriter @uchihasanctuary @bleach-your-panties @dabis-azure-songbird @erikandersonsspouse

There’s a pale moon in the sky The kind you make your wishes on Oh, like the light in your eyes The one I built my dreams upon

It had been many years since Zafina married Spencer. 6 years to be exact. The wedding was a Halloween wedding with an open bar and buffet and although Spencer wanted something small, he had to compromise due to Zafina having a large family. A lot of the more distant relatives weren’t able to attend the wedding for various reasons but they did send lots of gifts. The relatives that were able to attend were pretty surprised when they met Spencer during the wedding planning because they didn’t think he was the kind of guy Zafina would go for. Her parents and siblings had already welcomed Spencer with open arms which made him pretty happy. Although Spencer was pretty awkward and nervous around Zafina’s family, his anxiety and fears were eased thanks to her and he slowly started to open up to them. Zafina wanted Spencer’s mom Diana to attend the wedding as well and met her in person for the first time when he brought her to their home the week before.

Diana and Zafina hit it off much better than Spencer expected and her children also loved being around Diana which was a major bonus. The team also attended the wedding as expected and of course they had a huge blast too! The wedding was amazing with many hilarious moments as well as romantic ones! But the true romance and surprise came during Zafina and Spencer’s honeymoon to Bora Bora. During a romantic dinner, Zafina had given Spencer a cipher to crack that she had created herself. He cracked it instantly and he was completely gobsmacked by the meaning. Zafina was 3 months pregnant! With twin boys at that! Spencer was overjoyed and very excited throughout the entire pregnancy, treating Zafina like a queen and watching her like a hawk to make sure everything was alright.

On February 25th, Zafina delivered Dante and Dalton Reid via C-section and it was the happiest day of her life. Spencer was in tears as he held his sons, vowing to protect them and always be there for them. Their lives changed forever from that point on but there was a storm coming that would put their marriage to the ultimate test!

It’s not there any longer Something happened somewhere and we both know why But me, I’m getting stronger We must stop pretending I can’t live this life

6 years later, Zafina didn’t even know who Spencer was at this point. Being framed and going to prison was extremely hard on him and although he tried to push Zafina away, she wouldn’t allow it and was by his side the entire time. She wrote him letters, called him, and even visited him whenever she could! Zafina was gonna stand by her man no matter what and she didn’t care how long it took for Spencer to see that! 

Zafina obviously expected Spencer to change and he definitely did. He was more aggressive and outspoken for starters. She was worried that he might be suffering from PTSD which she instantly recognized the signs of thanks to her military experience. In the bedroom, Spencer was rougher, more dominant, and seemed to be insatiable even! 

Zafina tried to get Spencer to open up about his time in prison but it would always result in an argument or him distracting her with rough sex. Sometimes he would even lash out at her which led to even bigger arguments because Zafina didn’t play that shit at all! She was starting to get tired of all this fighting and although she definitely enjoyed the sex with Spencer, it wasn’t enough for her to want to keep this marriage going! Zafina knew that the breaking point was coming and she was starting to brace herself for impact.

It came when Zafina was in the shower one day and her phone was buzzing. She was in a group chat with fellow professors at her college and there was one professor in particular who always had the hots for her but she kept rejecting him and turning him down. Professor George Love. He was a black man who was a bit older than Zafina and he didn’t like the fact that she was married to a white man 10 years her junior. While Spencer was locked up, George kept putting the moves on Zafina and trying to get with her which she ignored. Eventually she got tired of it all and told George off before blocking him.

Zafina and Spencer had an open phone policy and although they never went through each other’s phones because they trusted each other, they still had each other’s passwords and such. Apparently George must’ve gotten a new number because he was texting Zafina various sexual messages and even sent her a dick pic or two. To make matters worse, George was talking shit about Spencer and dared to say that his dick was bigger when that couldn’t be further from the truth!

Spencer noticed that Zafina’s phone kept buzzing with text notifications and his curiosity got the better of him. As he read the text messages George was sending Zafina, his anger started to rise and rise. Although logically he knew that Zafina would never cheat on him, he still felt insecure and isolated about his time in prison and he didn’t think he was good enough for Zafina or their sons. 

When Zafina came out of the shower with only a towel wrapped around her body and hair, she noticed Spencer staring at her phone and raised an eyebrow. “Something wrong Spence?”

“Who the fuck is this guy sending you text messages and nudes? And why is he talking about me?” Spencer snarled while throwing Zafina’s phone at her which she caught with ease. Her eyes widened as she read George’s messages and she made a disgusted noise when she saw the dick pics. Zafina immediately blocked the number and sighed.

“It’s not what you think Spencer. That guy’s name is George Love and he’s a professor at the college I work at. He’s been trying to get with me ever since before you went to prison. He’s one of those black people who hates interracial relationships and the fact that you’re 10 years my junior doesn’t help either. I’ve never given him the time of day nor does he know a single detail about our relationship. I blocked his number years ago and told him off but apparently he doesn’t know when to quit. I’m gonna deal with this in the morning.”

Spencer gave Zafina a blank stare as she explained herself. Was she really telling the truth? Normally he would be able to tell but for some reason, he couldn’t and that scared him to death. Spencer didn’t respond to fear very well and Zafina could tell that he was about to break down. 

“Spencer? I’m telling the truth, I swear. I would never cheat on you ever. I love you too much to hurt you that way. Please just talk to me. I’m tired of you shutting me out like this. We used to talk about anything and everything but now it’s like you only notice me when you’re fucking me.”

“Zafina, I keep telling you over and over again that I don’t want to talk about this. Why do you keep bringing this up? I’m not shutting you out! But it definitely seems like you are! You actually expect me to believe that you were faithful to me while I was in prison? You’re not one to go without sex Zafina. You’re far more insatiable than I am!”

It was at this point that Zafina had enough. She wasn’t putting up with this anymore. Fuck this! How dare Spencer talk to her that way?! Was he implying that she was some kind of sex-crazed whore with no self-control? Little did Spencer know, his comments reminded him of how Zafina had been berated and slandered when she reported her gang rape decades ago and it pissed her off!

“I’m done, Spencer. I’m tired of this shit. We’re separating. Get the fuck out! You fucking cruel bastard!” Zafina took the towel off her head and threw it at Spencer, hitting him in the face. It was taking every ounce of her self-control to not punch him or do something even worse to him. Spencer was no stranger to Zafina’s temper but despite this, he refused to budge. Not without a fight.

“What about the boys?”

“What about them? You haven’t exactly been yourself around them either. Dante asked me the other day if you still loved him. No child should ever have to ask that about their parents. We need time apart Spencer and you need to get some fucking help or else this marriage will come to an end. I’m not going to say it again. Get the fuck out now or I’ll force you out. I don’t give a rat’s ass where you go as long as I don’t have to see your insufferable face again!”

Zafina’s words shattered Spencer’s heart but deep down, he knew she was right and their marriage was barely hanging on by a thread. There was a time to fight for their marriage but this wasn’t it. Without saying another word, Spencer packed his bags and walked downstairs towards the front door. 

“Daddy? Where are you going?”

Dante and Dalton were in the living room playing video games as Spencer walked by. How was he supposed to answer them? Should he answer them?

“Daddy’s going away for a while for work.”

Zafina had come downstairs wearing sexy silk pajamas that Spencer was never able to resist. Damn her and her impeccable timing! One of the many things he loved about her!

“Yeah your mom’s right. I have to go away for a while because of my job. I love you two and I will come back. I’m not walking out on you or your mother.”

Spencer gave Zafina a look of determination before he walked out of their family home, beginning their separation. Would it become permanent or was it temporary? Only time will tell.

I don’t care who’s wrong or right I don’t really want to fight no more (Too much talking babe) Let’s sleep on it tonight I don’t really want to fight no more This is time for letting go

Five months had passed since Spencer and Zafina separated and some progress happened during those five months. Zafina had reported George to the dean for sexual harassment, using all of the text messages and photos from her phone as proof. Turns out that she wasn’t the only victim of his and Zafina’s report was the final nail in the coffin. George was swiftly fired and he even had the audacity to try and go after Zafina physically as revenge. This led to her beating his ass in the college parking lot and gaining a lot of respect and admiration from the female staff and students.

Spencer decided to use his time off to his advantage and actually get help because he was getting to the point where he was considering using dilaudid again and if that happened, he could kiss his marriage goodbye! Zafina knew about his previous drug use and how it came to be but Spencer wasn’t going to test whether or not she would stay with him if he relapsed! He was already on thin ice as it was!

Spencer called Dante and Dalton every night and this led to him talking to Zafina as well. They would have deep conversations like they used to and kept each other up to date on anything important. Spencer was pretty happy to hear that George got fired for his actions and he was ecstatic to hear that Zafina kicked his ass. He didn’t say it out loud but the thought of her beating that pompous asshole really turned him on!

It was now October 31st. Halloween and their 7th wedding anniversary. Spencer had called Zafina early that morning and told her that he was picking her up later that night to take her to a restaurant that he had made reservations for. Zafina was nervous about how this anniversary would go. She knew that they would have to talk about the future of their marriage at some point and Spencer was most likely using their anniversary to do so. It was the moment of truth for them and damn was Zafina scared!

As nightfall started to roll around, Zafina began to get ready for her date with Spencer. Dante and Dalton were at JJ and Will’s place for the night so she wasn’t worried about their wellbeing. When Spencer arrived at the house, he let himself in since he still had the key and Zafina hadn’t changed the locks. Zafina was still in their bedroom, putting the final touches on her makeup and brushing her hair all the while wearing a gorgeous red dress that showed her curves and exposed some skin even. She was going all out on this anniversary!

Spencer walked into the bedroom and smiled when he saw Zafina all dressed up. It was rare that she dressed to the nines like that and that’s what made it all the more special to him. Even though it was obvious that Zafina had aged over the years, Spencer still found her sexy and gorgeous which he wasn’t afraid to let her know.

“You’re early Spencer. Why am I not surprised?”

“Did you expect anything less? Are you ready yet?”

“You can’t rush perfection Spence!”

“You’re perfect to me no matter what Zafina.”

That flustered Zafina and she stood up, grabbing her handbag. Even after all these years, she still didn’t have a response to Spencer’s comebacks sometimes! He still knew how to fluster her and make her shut up!

The drive to the restaurant was filled with silence but it was comfortable silence and Spencer had one hand on Zafina’s thigh as he drove. It was small moments like these that Zafina always treasured during their relationship. Just being around each other in complete silence letting their actions speak for themselves. 

Upon their arrival at the restaurant, Spencer and Zafina were immediately led to their reserved table which was by a large window with a gorgeous view of the city. She gasped when she saw how fancy and beautiful everything looked and her heart even skipped a few beats. How in the hell was Spencer able to pull off something like this?!

As they ordered their drinks and appetizers, Spencer decided to rip the band-aid off and get straight to the point just like Zafina preferred it.

“I want to come home. I miss being with you and the boys every night. I miss waking up next to you every morning. Zafina I want to work on this marriage and I don’t want a divorce.”

Their drinks and appetizers arrived and Zafina immediately began to dig in since she hadn’t eaten a single thing all day! She didn’t want to spoil this amazing dinner and Spencer found it pretty adorable when Zafina started stuffing her face like a competitive eater.

“I don’t want a divorce either Spencer but I’m not going to tolerate this kind of behavior from you. You can’t shut me out like this and you can’t lash out at me like you did, making snide comments. I know you’ve been through something terrible and I know a thing or two about how trauma affects people. I may not be able to understand your trauma but I do know what it’s like to be affected by it. I’ve had some very traumatic experiences myself after all.”

Zafina never told Spencer about her gang rape during her time in the military and although she didn’t really wish to, she was willing to for the sake of the conversation. After all, she knew Spencer would never judge her nor blame her! Just like she would never do the same to him!

“I know and I’m very sorry Zafina. The last thing I would ever want to do is hurt you in any kind of way. I was just scared and I don’t handle fear very well. You’re such a beautiful, amazing woman and when I went to prison, I didn’t expect you to actually be there for me and continue staying by my side. Why would someone as amazing as you be faithful to a screw-up like me? I didn’t think I was good enough for you or the boys and I guess distancing myself was my way of proving it. I’ve always been a bit insecure about our relationship and going to prison just made it worse.”

Zafina nodded as she took in Spencer’s words. It was pretty funny that he always felt insecure about their relationship because she had her own insecurities as well! But Spencer always comforted her about them and eventually the insecurities weren’t much of an issue anymore. The irony was not lost on her!

The waiter came by and took their orders for the main course. Spencer and Zafina ironically ordered the same thing which made them chuckle in unison. 

“Great minds think alike huh Spence? You have nothing to be afraid of. I will never leave you for another man. There isn’t a single man on this Earth who can compare to you or do what you do for me. It’s ok to be scared, baby. I was too, especially when we started dating. Failure, fear. In the lives that we live, these things are inevitable. How we deal with them is the true test of our character.” 

“Well I definitely failed that test then.”

“No you didn’t Spencer. If you did, we would be in divorce court right now instead of sitting here at a restaurant on our anniversary. You just stumbled and fell. Now you have to get back up and keep going. You won’t be going through this alone. I’ll be right by your side as long as you don’t push me away.”

Zafina always knew what to say and how to uplift people! Even though she wasn’t a profiler, she was quite good at reading people and had a lot of charm in spite of her ice queen persona that she often put on in front of others. Spencer fought back tears as he thought about what Zafina said and took it to heart. She always knew how to render him speechless.

“Beloved? Are you still with me? Don’t punk out on me now,” Zafina chuckled as she gently held Spencer’s hand and rubbed the back of it with her thumb. Her words made him smile smugly as he lifted up her hand and kissed it.

“The only one who’s gonna punk out tonight is you. I hope you don’t plan on going to work tomorrow because you won’t have the energy for it. We have to make up for lost time after all.”

The look that Spencer gave Zafina made chills run down her spine as she rubbed her thighs together. The rough sex that they had been having since he got out of prison was quite a shock to her because years ago, she would have to beg him to be rougher or more dominant. Spencer had trouble fully expressing himself in the bedroom which Zafina related to heavily. It was something they worked on together which made the sex all the more meaningful and special to her.

“Not that I’m complaining Spencer but what exactly made you get so rough all of a sudden? You would’ve been scared out of your mind to even spank me years ago but now it’s like you’re a complete beast. Is it because of you being incarcerated?”

“Yes. I was afraid that I’d never see you again and when you’re in prison, you have nothing but time. I was thinking about all of the things we never got to do in bed and the things that you wanted from me. Life is too short to take things for granted and now that I have my freedom back, I don’t want to have any regrets.”

Zafina and Spencer’s main courses came and they immediately started to dig in. The food was absolutely delicious and although Spencer preferred Zafina’s cooking any day, he had to admit that he was very impressed with how good the meal was! He made a great choice in picking this restaurant!

“This is amazing Spencer. I never thought that I would eat at a restaurant like this! How are you able to afford all of this? Did Rossi help you?”

“No but he did recommend this place to me. I have more money than you think Zafina and you deserve to be spoiled like this. A queen only deserves the best after all. Sit back, relax, and let me take care of everything. I got this darling.”

Zafina wasn’t used to a man taking care of her and spoiling her without expecting something in return and acting like an entitled brat. Even though she had been with Spencer for a long time, she still wasn’t used to how well he treated her and often had to fight feelings of guilt and uncertainty. Zafina gave Spencer a gentle smile and licked her lips seductively.

“Make me scream your name Spencer.”

“Oh I plan to. But try to take it easy on your vocal chords. You don’t want to blow out your vocal chords again do you?”

“That wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t hit my cervix Spence! It hurts like hell when a guy does that to a woman! You’re lucky I didn’t have to go to the ER!”

“That will never happen again, Zafina. I can promise you that. I’m sorry I caused you so much pain.”

“Spencer, you've apologized a thousand times since then. I know you didn’t mean to hurt me. You just got carried away. It happens sometimes. Especially when the sex is as amazing as it is with you.”

Spencer choked on his drink and coughed a bit. Was he actually blushing? Zafina chuckled as he tried to gather himself. He looked so adorable when he was flustered like that out in public! The waiter came by with the bill and Spencer immediately took out his wallet, giving the waiter his card and leaving a large tip. Zafina was going to offer to pay the tip at least but the look Spencer gave her changed her mind real fast! It also nearly unleashed a waterfall in between her legs!

A waterfall that was now replaced by a hot, relaxing shower as Spencer bathed Zafina and massaged her sore muscles. She was also quite exhausted after the rough, passionate sex they just had so he picked her up bridal style and carried her back to the bedroom after drying her off, laying her down on the bed and picking out something for her to wear to bed while putting on a pair of boxers. 

“Spence? Get me one of my Cowboys jerseys. It’s only fitting considering what we just did.”

The joke wasn’t lost on Spencer and he chuckled as he grabbed an oversized Dallas Cowboys jersey from their closet and threw it at Zafina along with a pair of clean panties. Spencer wasn’t one for football but Zafina’s enjoyment of it sparked his interest and he always watched the Super Bowl with her every year since they got married thanks to her family always having Super Bowl parties.

After Zafina got dressed, Spencer climbed into bed next to her and began to kiss her slowly and gently while wrapping his arms around her. It was moments like these that made Zafina realize that the nerdy, awkward, and sweet Spencer that she fell in love with still existed somewhere inside of him which made her very happy. 

“I love you Spencer. Welcome home.”

“I love you too Zafina. I’m glad to be home. I’m sorry for everything and I promise to be a better man for you and the boys.”

Zafina desperately wanted to say something back but her body had other ideas and she was fast asleep within seconds, snoring softly. Spencer smiled and kissed her forehead, watching her sleep. He was far from a religious man but if there was a God out there, he was definitely thanking him for blessing him with an amazing wife like Zafina! Most women would’ve walked out on him with everything that’s happened but not her. She still stayed with him despite everything and in spite of their separation periods, she was still willing to work on their marriage.

As Spencer drifted off to sleep himself, he smiled a genuine smile for the first time since he got out of prison as he thought about his long relationship with Zafina and the many ups and downs they’ve had over the years, leading up to this blissful moment.  She was his soulmate and he was hers. Always and forever. Till death separates them.

Oh, baby, don’t you know That I don’t want to hurt no more (It’s time, I’m walking babe) Don’t care now who’s to blame I don’t really want to fight no more This is time for letting go

[irenethewoman]

Chapter 12 - Troubles

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@vanhelsingsbigtoe

London in December 1921. Patton Senior. died at the start of December.

I legally inherited 60% of his property prior to his passing. He can only watch annexation and acquisition from his bed. I witnessed my entire life's work being destroyed. Along with all of my nominal relatives, I went to his funeral.

No tears were shed. This ritual resembled the marble coffin he picked out for himself. Although luxurious, it was icy and emotionless. taste. Actually, George and Helen might not have been born if you were a boy. ". William spoke to me in such a calm manner. This is extremely uncommon. I either remember a domineering, haughty, or inebriated William.

Since I was a young child, I've envied you. I wish I was as smart as you, but I'm jealous of how much my father adores you. Despite being much younger than I am, you can do it with ease. The questions my father gave me to answer were simple for me. Despite my best efforts, I was unable to overtake you. I believe. Reply Share Add Follow Report. I begged my father to listen to me, but all he did was compliment you. His treasure is you alone. He was always so distant from me. Face. Even George's father didn't take him very seriously, in case you missed it. ".

So you immerse yourself in a vat of wine and confront your father everywhere. I had to make fun of him. William continued to speak to himself while ignoring my sarcasm, gazing off into the distance. He said, "I was very confused when my father died.

I was at a loss when I suddenly understood that after all these years, all I had done was cause trouble everywhere and make my father ill. Down. ".

"That's not completely accurate. You also have a child who was murdered before he was even born. ". I know, he paused, and he turned to face me. I know. I'm sure you'll never forget that maid. ".

She has a name! Her name is Mary Smith! She was even expecting your child, I sneered, "That maid," I couldn't help but sneer. You killed her, my wife, you beat her to death once more, you raped her, and you don't even remember her name. She was a poor Christian, forced to carry your evil seed, forced to suffer both physical and mental torture. She cannot have an abortion.

"Don't claim that you want to alter your behavior and are sorry for the past. When Mary asked where I was, I pointed to the south. Go talk to her and see if she will forgive you, my sister commanded, as she erected a tomb.

After saying that, I quickly walked away from him. I'm so sick that I actually believe a bastard who has existed for almost 30 years can change his ways! Jenny, have you called?

I had a little lightheadedness from the red wine at the party, so I stumbled and fell on the sofa, kicking one of my shoes off. "No, Madame Baroness. Jenny is a sweet-natured Celtic girl with blue eyes that are round and adorable. very small freckles. I had my other shoe removed by her. "oh……". I am somewhat. No, I'm completely lost.

I've written to Tommy to inform him that I'm now a baroness and that Turner House, 10 King's Road, Chelsea, is now legally my property. private residence. He received my phone number and postal address. I even mentioned Turner to him in the letter.

The Baroness is very well-liked in the social scene of London, and her suitors come and go like crucian carp in a river. All I want is for Thomas Shelby to call me, be envious of me, and use nice words to try to get me to confess my love for him. He didn't, though. ". I became very upset, pouted, and curled up on the couch. Tommy once claimed that I was more addictive to him than opiates, but in actuality, I was the one who was dependent on him. Every night I engaged in conversation and laughter at balls in London, dealt with various wealthy individuals every day, and interacted with a wide range of people.

Suitors. I was disoriented and intoxicated as I walked, and I couldn't stop thinking about him. There were one or two social interactions that were intolerable. I even considered eloping with my possessions back to Birmingham while in court.

But I am unable. I've made the decision to take over as Baron Turner and inherit everything from my father. But I figured I could treat myself to a holiday for Christmas. Just as I had done when I fled London seven years prior, I traversed the streets of Birmingham while toting my compact suitcase. Yet this.

I didn't have Finn to drive me home this time. The London affair was nearly over when I secretly flew back to Birmingham. I want to make Christmas special for my little prince. surprise.

I arrived at the horse racing betting station as snowflakes fell from the sky. Miss, tomorrow is Christmas. I'm planning to arrive early tomorrow to wager on the horse races. We'll end now. "I recognized the voice.

John is here. He grinned with surprise as I glanced up at him. "Diana!". We gave each other hugs. I was working in the kitchen with Polly and the others when Tommy returned home.

"Thomas didn't say it, but my dear, I believe he wanted to see you when he traveled to London so aggressively. " Polly. told me while grinning.

I laughed as I dipped my head. The look on Tommy's face if he realized Polly had exposed him is something I'm really curious to see. I heard John say "Tommy!" and grabbed the salad bowl as I exited the kitchen.

Across the dining table, we were just staring at one another. He took over Kenpo's business successfully and without incident, as he claimed in his letter. This is all. I still find his blue eyes fascinating even though his cheeks have gotten paler over time. I observed as the surprise gradually gave way to tenderness in his eyes. I blush and feel my heart race just from his soft gaze. A look is much better than a thousand words because it is so full of love and meaning.

Arthur popped his head out from behind him, "Tommy, what are you doing here?" He became hesitant when he saw me. "All right Tommy, you have plenty of time to examine Diana in more detail. John pushed Tommy while grinning. As I watched these men fight and push each other like immature children, I grinned. I went backwards and walked. cooking area.

This smell is what home smells like. Tommy moved into a larger home after earning a lot of money. His bedroom also expanded, and the bed did as well. yes. He rolled off of me and fell asleep next to me once the rain stopped and the clouds parted.

I still held him and tried to get into his arms even though the love just now had taken too much of my energy. Tommy exhaled and gave me a tight hug while kissing my skin and face.

Do you intend to leave? "Maybe. After all, the Turner family in Chelsea still has a lot of face. I murmured as I lay in his arms. "I. The brothers have tarnished the sterling reputation of our Turner family, which dates back to George I and has endured for many generations. through misbehavior.

The men in my family can only cause trouble, and then they will—William, who is well-known in London, and George, who isn't even an adult but has an illegitimate son. The mess-making is done by women. ". However, I'll most likely depart at the end of January. I turned my head up and gave him a chin kiss. "You're welcome to visit me anytime in London.

10 King's Road in Chelsea. Little prince, my dear. ". He had a fresh wound on his chest when I rubbed myself in his arms. It appeared to have been shot. I quickly stepped away from his arms out of fear that I would press his wound, and I used my fingers to gently circle the scar. Admire him. It must hurt awfully bad. Why did that happen. Didn't you say you had no skin injuries? ".

What's wrong with the wound on your hand? Tommy asked as he grabbed my hand and kissed it. "I was. "I did the burning myself.

However, I was afraid to say that to him. Even though we are very close, Tommy's expression of rage still makes me very impressed. It's peculiar. It's frightening, and I can't take his "punishment" any longer. After a brief period of silence, I realized that he had changed the topic. The subject should not even be brought up again. "It's a minor injury. A long time ago, everything was fine. I kept it from you. He gestured with his hand up, playing with my hair. "Explain your hands to me. ". "I……".

I was mortified as I looked into his probing eyes. But I was only able to go into great detail about my time in London. Of course, I forgot about the young men who flocked to me day after day.

I grew increasingly uneasy as I watched Tommy's expression of silence; surely he wouldn't get angry again? "I suddenly felt bad for letting you go. He gave me a big bear hug while he sighed. I stood up and kissed Tommy on the mouth, saying, "But I'm back, aren't I?

I gave him a direct look and said, "Tommy, I want you to tell me everything in the future and not keep it from me.". Eyes: "Whether it's accidents or anything else, financial difficulties or domestic problems. You got it all, Tommy.everything. You are always aware of what I can share with you. ". We just exchanged silent looks. Before he slowly nodded.

In Birmingham, I had a wonderful Christmas vacation. Every day, talk about the newest London fashion with Polly and Ismey. The kids talk about interesting things that happened in London before spending the night with my little prince.

"The dictator of Little Hiss and his troubled demon queen. ". I suddenly recalled my old moniker. I tried to speak clearly despite the fact that I was panting and lying beneath Tommy. Chu.

After hearing this, Thomas just chuckled and put more effort into demonstrating his "excessive debauchery.". The Baroness appears to have many suitors. Was it successful in finding the goddess? He was consuming the port wine I had brought back while seated at the other end of the tub.

I leisurely poured myself a glass of wine and asked, "Are you jealous?". "A beautiful, wealthy single woman. If a young woman marries, she will inherit a sizable amount of property and the title of baroness without any elders to make careless comments. this. Such a baroness would not attract any suitors who would be concerned with her virginity. ". I put down the wine glass in my hand and sat in the bathtub, asking, "So, is Mr. Shelby also interested in this Baroness?".

She shifted slightly in front of him before leaning forward and placing her hand on the inside of his thigh, just beneath the foam. His knees were nearly in contact with my breasts. I observed his Adam's apple rolling with pleasure.

"Per your request, my dear. Baroness. ".

I had to return to London once the holidays were over.

Cold, lonesome, and empty. After a brief trip back to Birmingham, I found 10 King Street to be progressively more intolerable. Home. There are still a lot of servants here, and occasionally young talents from London come to see me. However, in my opinion, it is still fair. Family honor has trapped me like a cold cage.

I didn't feel alive again until I occasionally traveled to Birmingham, and only then did I experience true emotion. only.

At that point, I no longer felt like a lifeless prisoner of familial honor, but rather like a living being. doll for a puppet.

It's possible that people were offended by the way I treated the young men, which led to the spread of unfavorable rumors about me. smell.

Some claim that my health is the reason why my suitors are so eager, while others assert that I did certain things during the five years I spent living away from London.

I once worked as a prostitute, and some claim that I frequently skip dances because I have business meetings with my financial backers; they fear that I will one day take over that profession from them. They believe that I paid for it with my body because of the financial sponsor.

Some insiders claim that I left London to meet my lover, a black man, and that they obtained this information from unidentified sources. Help the boss out.

To be completely honest, I was quite intrigued when I first heard those ridiculous rumors, just like when I heard a stranger's joke. Thus, urban legends are still used in London. But because I knew they were getting closer to reality, I finally became irate. How would you rate my little prince?

I asked Attorney Collins, my head spinning, "Can I sue them?". It is theoretically feasible, Madam Baroness. But these rumors are so pervasive that you can't even, he scowled in shame.

I have no idea where they came from. Furthermore, you cannot begin it one at a time once it has been spread by too many people. sue. ".

Such a mess. I clenched my fists, closed my eyes, and made an effort to restrain my rage. The same issue affects men who can have affairs with women of all social classes and even have children out of wedlock before getting hitched. Just a few jokes, really. However, because my lover is a Birmingham commoner, I, Baroness Turner, will be raped. to which.

I just did the same thing as those men, not even as extreme as them, but I was the subject of unending rumors. Slandered.

"Whore. heh. ". I believe I know who is responsible. At a ball held at Buckingham Palace, I first met my sister, Helen Burgess.

I had just said hello to Mr. Dot Churchill and had the first dance before that. He told me that my brother's passing had caused him grief.

I apologize, and congrats on acquiring the title successfully. I went to my sister's spot on the corner after the dance and sat down. Indeed, I overheard some people saying on the way. Mr. Churchill and I were involved in an affair.

I was a flower girl at Mr. Churchill's wedding; they are such creative people. Nevertheless, these politicians have morals.

Very flexible, but there is no real reason for someone to have sex with the young daughter of his former colleague, just like he did with his own daughter when she was a child. a young female.

"Your husband must have worked very hard to gain entry. Using your maiden name would have made it simple to invite you. Do enter. "I drank some champagne.

He is my husband. I looked in Helen's direction as she stubbornly raised her head. The congressman Burgess is collaborating. The wife of the Lord of the Admiralty flirted with, more accurately. flattered.

a man who utilizes his lover as a means of power. In fact, Councilor Burgess visited me after I was made a baroness. I don't even know who gave him this assurance. Face, we didn't get along during the inheritance argument just now. You are free to approach me as an equal after you lose. I offered to support his career and be his lover. I sipped more champagne and remained silent, only turning to look at Senator Burgess. I will only bargain with those who can speak to me in order to capture the thief and the king. There's no need for me to intervene, though, because he provoked Mr. Churchill. Ordinary scandals are just something to talk about after dinner. Men won't give them a second thought, and they'll even use them as medals to show it.

I have endless charm. But when these have an impact on their lives and careers, they will abruptly abandon them. The rumors' development has simply been sped up by me. Indeed, Mr. Churchill couldn't stay still and stood up to correct those false facts.

words. Additionally, society also ignored those foolish, chatty women who fell for Senator Burgess' charms.

I at last experienced my usual peace and quiet after the London social season ended. even though I've handled these storms well. I spent the night returning to Birmingham because I was still feeling very upset.

Tommy was headed to London to meet me because he had heard the rumors. He once more set the bag down in his hand when he saw me approaching the door. plum.

"Tommy. why not wed me right away. ". I feel extremely resentful and resentful when I consider those "whispering words" that nearly punctured my spine. if it was. Birmingham, if anyone had dared to do this to me, I would have shot them all. "Dani, you are the Baroness," Tommy said while wiping away my tears and kissing my lips. ".

"I don't give a damn! I don't give a damn! Tommy, I just want you. ". I felt more wronged the more I sobbed, and the more I sobbed, the more I wanted to cry. I behaved childishly as I lay in Tommy's arms and resisted getting up.

Until I eventually stopped crying, he quietly hugged me. "Dani, I can't let the last two years' worth of your labor go to waste. Turner, not Diana, is who you are now. ". Lord. ".

"I regret it, Tommy. I regret it. ". Tommy and I would have wed, had kids, and I would have been well-known if I had still been Diana Turner. Sincere Shelby, please. However, I can now have sex with various men before getting married because I am Baroness Turner. Love, but I couldn't date a Birmingham gangster. "Honey, you were acting irate. Tommy gave me a kiss. Of course, I still recall why I chose to make the effort to become a baroness and why I initially decided to return to London. A London baroness wife will play a role when Tommy starts to expand to London, which is a more crucial factor.

In terms of both financial and political support, it is very important. I wish I could do more for my partner. I want to be more than just his quiet hometown; I want to walk alongside him.

Thomas managed to calm me down, but I was still reluctant to leave. Though old grudges make me, I still recall my duties. had no choice but to flee for a while. He was powerless to stop me, and so he agreed to let me keep doing what I was doing before. "Tommy, you're rich now, and a baroness works for you as your secretary. ", said Arthur. An infectious disease claimed the life of Ada's husband, Freddie Thorne.

Thomas, who was once friends with Thorne, spoke at his funeral as promised and was sincere afterwards. Ada was invited to bring Carl and live with him at his house. Ada was unconcerned. Since she was no longer Shelby or Thorne, she claimed to be free. I was compelled to give her a bear hug after recognizing the tremor in her voice.

Ada and Thorne got married out of love, but they were divorced for a long time because of unimportant issues and conflicts. The sporadic running-in nevertheless transformed the vivacious young woman into a frazzled single mother. She was angry, but I could tell she was feeling relieved.

I want Ada to know that even though she hasn't forgiven Tommy yet, we will always be related. The seven-year itch, that is. As I turned to look at Thomas after watching Ada walk away, I muttered, ". "us. Should this occur again in the future? As soon as we were combined with honey, we did not think twice about leaving our family; today, we are disgusted with one another and feel relieved.

Tommy gave me a puzzled look as if he were attempting to understand what was going through my mind. There's no need for you to fret all the time. Tommy gave me an irritated glare. "It's something you want, isn't it? I'll return to London the following day. I tried to change the subject while lowering my head to avoid his stare. "Um. ". "Give me Ada's address, and I'll look after her in London," he said. ". "Um. ". ". ". ". ". ". Tommy, I adore you. ". "……Um. ". Once more, he grinned. It's like a young child who needs to be encouraged when he's upset!

[tiimecrash]

@lightcreators ( draco malfoy ) liked for a starter!

It wasn’t unusual for the unspeakable known as Professor Jamie Burke to be around at very odd times. Almost unexpectedly and without warning, she had always came an went and her own family ( outside her husband ) barely knew where she was half the time. That was the life of an unspeakable working with time related magic. However, she managed to show up with the situation needed her. Today was one of those days. She had planned to drop in on her cousin Lucius and his family. Why? Because it was need.

She had knowledge about an event to come soon and she decided to at-least see how it goes, That was her job and to make this event even more interesting was her cousin Draco was involved. She spoke not a single word to anyone about it, it was against the rules. So Jamie found herself at Borgin and Burke’s. She was a distant relative of the owner nd had some special treatments when she was there. As she walked around the darkened store, her fingers trailed across some of the odd and ends of magical artifacts. She had her own specific artifact around her neck and tucked under the collar of her blouse - her time turner. 

Looking at the artifacts, she could hear Borgin in the background grumbling about her touching things. He didn’t dare speak to her. That’s when she spotted the cabinets. “That’s the one.” she stated, before hearing the door open and she knew it was the Malfoy family coming in. A pause and a grin, “Lucius! Draco!” she beamed. A quirked brow followed, as she knew Lucius really never cared for her and found her odd and annoying. Jamie however, was fairly fond of her youngest cousin, Draco. He had something inside him that made her intrigued with him. Something she couldn’t explain really. Not to anyone else, at-least. The select few people who did know, did not speak of it.

“Shopping I see. You need furniture, right?” she began, assuming they were looking for a certain cabinet. One of which she knew was there and would be bought by her cousin. “I know, you were not expecting to see me of all people today.” Small talk was something she was very awkward about. Probably why people thought she was odd. 

[resolviendolaincognita]

The melody of memory: the ancestral hymn that united two continents

In the summer of 1933, linguist Lorenzo Dow Turner (1890-1972) and musicologist Lydia Parish visited Amelia Dawley in Harris Neck, Georgia. This was a coastal community of Black landowners from the Gullah ethnic group. Turner recorded the song sung by Dawley, which the community had known for ages without understanding its meaning. This marked the beginning of a journey to their roots.

Origin of the Gullah Language

Turner was interested in Gullah culture, which had remained isolated from outsiders, especially white people. The Gullah people were descendants of slaves from plantations in South Carolina and Georgia, comprising individuals from the Mandingo, Bamana, Wolof, Fula, Temne, Mende, Vai, Akan, Ewe, Bakongo, and Kimbundu ethnic groups.

Turner hypothesized that their language was either an archaic or childlike form of English. To uncover this part of American linguistic history, which he would publish in "Africanisms in the Gullah Dialect," he first had to earn their trust. Through his research, he realized that Gullah had no trace of English and reasoned that it could have survived similarly to Pennsylvania Dutch, a dialect of German preserved through relative isolation. The study of their language indicated a common origin with the languages of Jamaica and Barbados, suggesting it originated from some part of West Africa. After years of studying their creole languages and African languages, he narrowed his search down to the Mende and Vai languages.

Among the data he recorded, in chapter 9 of his book, he published Dawley's song, considered the longest known African language song in the United States. Its meaning was unknown, but in 1941, his Sierra Leonean student Solomon L. Caulker recognized the repetition of the term "kambei" ("grave") in the Mende language. Thanks to this revelation, Turner was able to publish a translation of the funeral song:

Ah wakuh muh monuh kambay yah lee luh lay tambay Ah wakuh muh monuh kambay yah lee luh lay kah. Ha suh wileego seehai yuh gbangah lilly Ha suh wileego dwelin duh kwen Ha suh wileego seehi uh kwendaiyah.

Come together, let's work hard; the grave is not yet finished; let its heart be perfectly at peace. Come together, let's work hard; the grave is not yet finished; let its heart be perfectly at peace. Sudden death commands everyone's attention, oh elders, oh heads of families. Sudden death commands everyone's attention, like a distant drumbeat.

Turner's works became reference materials, but general interest in the Gullah people experienced a pause. Anthropologist Joseph Opala, who had lived in Sierra Leone for years and studied the ruins of slave trading centers, was the one who revived the interest.He began with the records from the Ball plantation in South Carolina and the slave ship and auction records discovered in New York, which showed a complete trace from Africa to the present day. In his documentary Family Across the Sea (1989), he gathered Emory Campbell and several Gullah leaders for a trip to Sierra Leone.

The Return of the Funeral Hymn

However, although enthusiastic about the idea, Sierra Leone felt it was not enough. They needed clearer links. That's when they collaborated with ethnomusicologist Cynthia Schmidt to find the origin of Dawley's song. They searched the district where they estimated its most likely origin, but found no one who knew it. This changed in the periphery, in Senehun Ngola, where they found Bendu Jabati.

Bendu Jabati had heard this song sung by his grandmother, who told him it was sung in honor of the ancestors. It was a hymn sung at funerals, associated with a very important ceremony for the Mendé: the Tenjami ("Crossing the River"). Knowing that it was a cultural element that could be lost, his grandmother taught it to him, along with the movements to show her mourning. The custom was for the men to prepare the grave, while the women pounded the rice. It was performed on the third day of a woman's funeral or the fourth of a man's, symbolizing the bridge between the world of the living and the dead. Relatives spent the night and part of the next day at the burial site performing the final rites. After preparing and eating rice, participants completed the ritual by turning over an empty pot of rice, leaving it on the ground as a farewell. This ceremony disappeared after World War I, when soldiers recruited by the British Army introduced Islam and Christianity upon their return.

The meeting took place in 1997 between Mary Moran (1921-2022), daughter of Amelia Dawley, and her family, with Bendu Jabati. They were welcomed by the president of Sierra Leone in Freetown and taken to Senehun Ngola, where they met Bendu Jabati. By that time, they had the full text of the song provided by Sierra Leonean linguist Tazieff Koroma and translated by him, Edward Benya and Opala. In Sierra Leone, the song was slightly different, possibly because of the development of the language over the intervening centuries. When Mary Moran and Bendu Jabati met, it proved that this hymn had survived another generation. This encounter was shown in the documentary The Language You Cry (1998).   

A wa kaka, mu mohne; kambei ya le'i; lii i lei tambee. A wa kaka, mu mohne; kambei ya le'i; lii i lei ka. So ha a guli wohloh, i sihan; yey kpanggaa a lolohhu lee. So ha a guli wohloh; ndi lei; ndi let, kaka. So ha a guli wohloh, i sihan; kuhan ma wo ndayia ley.

Come quickly, let us work hard; the tomb is not yet finished; his heart has not yet grown cold. Come quickly, let us work hard; the tomb is not yet finished; let his heart be cool now. Sudden death cuts down the trees, borrows them; the remains slowly disappear. Sudden death cuts down the trees; let it be satisfied, let it be satisfied, at once. Sudden death cuts down the trees, borrows them; a voice speaks from afar.

Recognizing a Slave Girl

In Sierra Leone, however, they wanted an even more concrete connection: the name of a slave who had left their homeland. Despite the difficulty of the task, Opala found in the Martin family papers the name of Priscilla, a girl who was taken from Sierra Leone to Charleston in 1756. Although it is unknown exactly how she was obtained, contemporary records speak of abductions by other Africans, especially from enemy kingdoms, such as the Fula, Mandingo or Susu. They were kidnapped, prisoners of war, people convicted of crimes or sold to pay debts. In exchange, the British offered them guns, gunpowder, clothes, rum, metal goods and various trinkets. Of the 40 British slave castles or fortified trading posts in Sierra Leone, he would have passed through Bunce Island, the largest and only major castle on the Rice Coast. She would have come from the interior to the coast walking naked or with rags and bound hands. Before traveling by sea, she would have been branded and auctioned off. After surviving the rough voyage across the Atlantic on the ship Hare, she would have stayed 10 days in quarantine, being one of the few people in good condition, and then put to work in a rice field. Although the Hare was a British ship owned by the London owners of Bunce Island, New-York Historical Society records said it was an American slave ship owned by Samuel and William Vernon, two of the wealthiest merchants in colonial Rhode Island, sailing from Newport, Rhode Island.

In America, Priscilla would have fallen in love a decade later with the slave Jeffrey, with whom in 1770 she had three children and, in 1811, after his death, about 30 grandchildren. Her descendants continued to work on the plantation until early 1865, when the plantation was taken over by the Federals. Henry, one of his freed descendants, took the surname Martin and had ten children with Anna Cruz. Of these, roofer Peter Henry Jr. was born in 1886 and had Thomas P. Martin in 1933. At the time of the investigation, he was to have been the one to make the trip, but he died and was replaced by his daughter Thomalind Martin Polite, a 31-year-old speech pathologist at a primary school. Their reunion in Sierra Leone was shared in the documentary Priscilla's homecoming (2005).

In conclusion, although slavery attempted to erase the identity of its victims, they have the power to preserve the customs that connect them to their roots through the centuries. The song itself bridged the gap between the two shores, reuniting through their descendants those who had been separated.

[chrysolipsist]

The Tropes of Tomorrow

Think of all the tropes of tomorrow, extending into the far-off future, and if humanity does not destroy itself, having centuries upon centuries of records of all the tropes of the past. The saying "there's nothing new under the sun" is an old one, but only now do we have a seemingly infinite permanent record.

We are at the very birth of this age of cataloging. The fidelity of the media we record with now has attained such a state during our lifetimes that it can potentially remain an eternal, crystal clear record of the present. I think even with a future paradigm shift in how we take in media -- maybe in future we will engage all our senses with direct electronic neural stimulation, after we murder enough monkeys to find out how to make this happen -- with other new technologies you could probably reproduce old media and translate it into the contemporary media of the future. But the further back you go into the past, the harder it will be to do so, with there being fewer records. Before the dawn of photography, everything is only an impression, not the reality. But we have lived within the era of exponential growth in the ability of ordinary people to record images and video, as well as the fidelity of those records.

Every picture is a window into the past, and maybe with some sort of machine learning algorithm recreating the worlds within those windows, using those images as stochastic sampling of that ancient space, some future media might be able to somewhat capture or recreate its essence. Almost how we have been colorizing black and white photos and movies for some time. Who will be the future Ted Turner of recreating what will then be ancient spaces?

But there are more things than just images and video that will be saved. There are also our ideas, written down, on every thing imaginable, from great to trivial. Even more than the photos, this is the true record of our time. Only a select few writers' words emerge from the distant past; only great authors and great intellects whose words were felt to be important. The printing press, followed by audio and video recording, began our record; but those were still mainly distributing the voices of the relatively important, or at least those lucky enough to be captured in a small sample of ordinary people. It used to be quite exciting to see your own name or your words in print. Writings and recordings of ordinary people were isolated, mere tidepools on the shore of the sea of information, disconnected, destined to dry out, save for small samples later saved into the greater record. It was not until the internet that we would have a place where these words could accumulate in great and ever-growing quantity.

Imagine some future generative algorithm trained on trillions of hours of direct testing and observing, a supermassive neural network intended to map thoughts to words, able to fill in the gaps and straighten out the non-sequiturs, and then automatically journaling our every thought. Imagine such a device, how it might be used, and misused, in a future far distant from ours, or perhaps not so distant. Here, now, in the twenty-first century, we can sort of imagine the basic applications and how it might be done. We are much closer to this potentially hellish vision than our great-grandparents could have possibly imagined.

In a similar way, the ideas and images we now communicate are entered into our record, and they continue to grow. The stale ideas remain but we have not lived long enough yet to see what happens to the digital spaces when all the humans left in it have died. Or, I wonder if that is true? There are places that collect the digital detritus of years long past. The website "textfiles.com" allows you to browse through a thousand zines of years past, with the charm of green text on black background just how it might have been.

Who can say what the distant future may hold? I mean the world not your children or grand-children, or even great-grandchildren might live in, but some far future, still millennia away, should humanity last so long. How long will the records of our time survive? How much can we infer from what we have seen at present? Will technology advance in its exponential march forever? Does the obsolescence of media determine the life of a trope? How long will our age, the age of the screen, last, before it is replaced by some sort of interface where we experience a situation as if we were there, or we register the words of another as a pure thought, as quickly as if we had thought it ourselves, with no middleman of words or sounds. And with this medium imagine what some geniuses might someday do; to transfer both thought and emotion, to experience fully what another felt in their mind. In that world people will still interact, and among those who interact, there will still be the common patterns and shared observations to form what we now call tropes, and shared references to form what we now call memes. But even the very idea of trope (generalization of a specific case) and the very idea of meme (capturing the essence of a situation through mutually understood or easily grasped references) are somewhat new. Foreshadowed, yes, indeed foreseen by the Dawkinses and McLuhans. Think about what new situations will occur, what new tropes will be identified.

For example: in the Star Trek universe, which gives us one vision of a future, what sort of tropes would surround something like a holodeck? For example: "Guy Who Won't Admit to Using the Holodeck to Masturbate" could be a trope in that universe.

Tropes and memes are generally shared, although probably some lunatic out there makes them solely for their own enjoyment. I sometimes make one for fun and post it to a social media account that has few followers so they are rarely appreciated by more than a dozen people. But, they are still shared. But how long will we continue to want to share? Will there one day be a technological innovation that allows us to mimic interaction with other people, that is almost as good as interaction with others, yet is merely talking to a machine simulating other people? Our virtual relationships could be curated and controlled. In this world, would people still want to talk to each other?

What would you do in a world where you can be surrounded by your own personal Greek chorus, if you would like? Would you have shared experiences with your little clique of imaginary friends? What strange digital rabbit holes might each person dig out. Oh yes, we all do a little of that today but imagine the intricacy with which they could be made with tomorrow's technology. Your own personal mind palace that you could experience almost as if it were a real one, because technology can give you an experience identical to actually being there, no matter where you are.

Imagine being in the 100th century, chairman of the board of your own multiple personality disorder. Boredom is the eternal bane of humanity, but humanity has yet to perfect its ability to erase its own memories to re-experience things. That will take a few millennia yet to work out. In your time, the 9900s, to keep from getting bored, wouldn't you sometimes invite more interesting characters to the party? Maybe some of the ones you found dangerous before, but now that you can control the situation, you can make them a little more to your liking, in a different way from before?

Or maybe you are living ten million years into the future, and your consciousness has been uploaded into a module of a Dyson sphere, in eternal command of its every perception, with the ability to create any situation by will alone. Such a creature is essentially the God of their own personal universe. With the Apparatus containing the Entity automatically responding to the impulses of their will, in an instant calling a whole universe into being to surround them, and terminating its existence in another instance should the Entity desire another. Suppose this is You; and You have been around for untold aeons as God of your world.

Imagine the last person to live in the flesh. All the rest of humanity having passed into their eternal digital Xanadus, the last person confined to their meat. Perhaps they lived out their days as the final flesh-and-blood caretaker of the great hive of humanity's minds, having declined to join it, their duties overtaken by machines after they pass. It seems inevitable that one day it will happen.

Perhaps this is our condition. Maybe we are all short lived impulses of beings intended to create verisimilitude to entertain a certain God. This would explain certain things, like why we seem to have an instinct for inventing the supernatural although there is no evidence to suggest it, or why we would be given at least the illusion of freedom of choice, but also many lists of things we are not allowed to do. And our tropes and memes are merely part of the fabric of that space, and so perhaps we are already an example of the kind of thing I was saying earlier. Thus, on top of the other patterns we have alluded to thus far, we now have recursion as well.

And maybe that's all of what existence is in the first place: Recursion. Maybe we are living in one phase of a fractal that repeats itself while also suggesting movement. Time moving forward, both a line and a circle at the same time. Somehow, amid this weird landscape of reality where we have no foothold or frame of reference, no gravity to ground us, we are left only with abstract concepts. Somehow, the only real things that remain seem to be mathematics and memory.

I wonder if we are lucky to still live in an era where our minds will probably go out when we expire. It seems more dangerous to put oneself at risk of eternal existence. But here we start to enter into the realm of the truly crazy thoughts: for example, that one might go to sleep and wake up as someone else. How would you know, if you inherited all of their memories and lost all your own? Who's to say this sort of thing doesn't happen all the time? Maybe tomorrow you will be me, and I will be you, and neither of us will know.

[musingsofabookworm1]

My Last Five Reads - August 2024

*The Next Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine - 4 stars

The Last Mrs. Parrish came out 7 years ago. When I looked that up, I didn’t feel bad not remembering the fine details. But I did find a very helpful recap online, so hit me up if you need it. 

So….if you’ve not read the first one, read it. It’s excellent. Then read this one. It’s another solid mystery/thriller.

No details for a sequel!

*In the Hall with the Knife (Clue Mystery #1) by Diana Peterfreund - 3.5 stars

I bought this book for Nathan a long time ago. No shocker - he never read it. We used to play Clue A LOT. I also played a lot as a child. So I finally read this book before I decided to bring it to live on my classroom library shelves. 

The characters in Clue come alive as teenagers at the prestigious prep school: Blackbrook Academy. Though I read it as Blackrocks, like the Marquette, MI brewery, for at least a third of the book. The plot summary on the flap discloses that Headmaster Body ends up dead on the night where all of the main players are snowed in at one of the on-campus student houses. Whodunnit? Fairly obvious for an adult reader, but I think it’d be a good page-turner for middle grade readers. That’s why I ordered the other two installments to accompany it on my shelf. 

So if you have a young reader in your life that likes Clue and/or mysteries, this would be a good rec!

*Distant Sons by Tim Johnston - 3 stars

I have a hard time passing up a book set in Wisconsin. Especially in a small town! Outside my go-to-read authors, I don’t read a lot of books by male authors with male protagonists. I don’t specifically seek out books with female writers and characters; these just pique my interest. So this one was outside the norm for me. 

This book had a pretty good plot. Three boys disappeared in the 70s without a trace. All separately. Old Marion Devereaux has been suspected by the townspeople. He lives as a hermit, more or less, in the present day. A man looking for work comes through town and begins a job at Devereaux’s house. Sean, said man, also starts to get close with a local bartender.

All of this and a subplot with another vagabond workman leads to a slow burn to solve the mystery. Which, unfortunately, wasn’t much of a mystery at all.

Decent writing. Lots of good dialog that made its nearly 400 pages fly. 

*Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese - 4 stars

A short read packed with Native American history and strong characterization. 

We meet protagonist Saul when he is in rehab for alcoholism. Then he takes us on a journey through his youth in the 1960s. After Saul loses his entire family one winter, he is brought to an Indian boarding school to “take the savage” out of him. But one of the priests saves him by teaching him hockey.

Since this book is so short, I’ll stop there. But if you are interested in this historical topic and don’t mind reading about hockey, this is a really good read. My only qualm is that I wish it’d have been longer!

*Smotherness by Alisa Alering - 2.5 stars

This one was a letdown. Though the writing was good, the story itself was lacking.

In 1980s Appalachia, two sisters live with their mother and an older relative. They are poor. They are made fun of mercilessly at school. They don’t get along with one another. On top of this, a murder of two hikers shocks their town. 

I’m all for a little magical realism, but it did not work for me here. The fantastical elements came in and out in a clunky manner making it hard to follow at times. 

Not a lot happened. Lots and lots and lots of buildup. Too much.

Good idea. Mediocre execution. 

[sciencespies]

Early meteorites brought enough water to Mars to create a global ocean

https://sciencespies.com/space/early-meteorites-brought-enough-water-to-mars-to-create-a-global-ocean/

Early meteorites brought enough water to Mars to create a global ocean

Meteorites bombarding the Red Planet may have carried so much water that it could have covered the planet in a layer 300 metres deep if spread out, while also depositing molecules essential for life

Space 16 November 2022

By Jacklin Kwan

Mars may have been covered in water in the distant past

MARK GARLICK/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/GETTY

The meteorites that bombarded Mars during the early days of the inner solar system may have carried enough water to create a 300-metre-deep ocean on the planet.

Martin Bizzarro at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark and his colleagues have analysed the concentration of a rare chromium isotope, known as chromium-54, in samples of meteorites that have come to Earth from Mars to estimate how much water was deposited on the Red Planet by asteroids.

The uppermost layer of Mars contains the chemical signatures of carbonaceous, or C-type, meteorites that bombarded it as its crust solidified some 4.5 billion years ago.

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Because Mars isn’t made up of large tectonic plates that move around, causing material in the planet’s interior and surface to churn, this chemical signature from the meteorites should be preserved in the rocks of the planet’s crust. But the rocks from the mantle below should still show what Mars was like before the bombardment.

“It’s a bit like DNA,” says Bizzarro. “Carbonaceous-type asteroids have a very distinct chromium isotope composition relative to the inner solar system.”

By looking at the difference between the amount of chromium-54 in samples of meteorites on Earth that have come from either the surface or mantle of Mars, the researchers could estimate the total mass of the asteroids that originally collided with Mars.

If the original bombarding asteroids were just 10 per cent water, the lower limit for C-type meteorites, they would have deposited enough of the molecule to create a global ocean, say the researchers. If spread out over the whole planet, the water would form a layer 300 metres deep.

“I think this is the first time where we have a smoking gun,” says Bizzarro, and we can finally say with certainty that water-rich asteroids hit Mars’s surface.

C-type asteroids also contain elements that are essential to life. This means that two of the most important ingredients necessary to life – organic molecules and water – were present on Mars during a time before Earth’s moon even formed, say the researchers.

The paper gives good evidence for the presence of C-type meteorites in the Martian mantle, but the meteorite samples might not be representative of the bulk of the planet’s mantle material, says Simon Turner at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia.

Journal reference: Science Advances, DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abp8415

More on these topics:

#Space

[tenthdoctorsglasses]

The Mermaid and the Pirate (Part one)

Will Turner x mermaid!reader

Warnings: brief description of injury but that's really it!

Summary: When Will Turner, travelling alongside Captain Jack Sparrow and his crew, find themselves in a shipwreck, Will is saved by a mysteriously brave mermaid. How will he react when he learns that mermaids are not so much of a myth?

A/n: hey, so this is my first time posting something i've written online eeekk! This story is gonna be in parts, i'm not sure exactly how many yet but i hope you'll enjoy it :)

___________________________________________________________________________

"Alright, let's see how long it'll take for me to swim out to Rumrunner's Isle today!"

You had been a mermaid for over a year now, and keeping a secret that big had proven itself to be very difficult. Consequently, you had become quite distant from your family, and often had to resort to setting yourself challenges like this one in order to keep yourself entertained.

Being a mermaid had made you into an extremely fast swimmer, and it had also made it easier for you to hold your breath underwater. Therefore, seeing how long you could last swimming long distances served as an easy distraction from your troubles. However, it didn't compensate for the loneliness and despair of having to keep what had become such a huge part of yourself secret. You were afraid of how people would react; maybe they would lock you away forever...or maybe even worse. They would most likely assume you to be a threat, but you knew that you weren't. You were still the same person you had always been, the only difference was that you turned into a mermaid everytime you came into contact with water. You weren't of any danger to anyone. Though, how you would convince them of that, was beyond you.

"Must have been about three minutes that time...not bad!" You thought, as you reached the shore of Rumrunner's Isle.

You had stopped to catch your breath when suddenly you heard people shouting in the distance and what sounded like things exploding. You looked to your left to see an oncoming shipwreck. You didn't even think before diving straight back into the water to go and help. Because if anyone could save those people, it was you.

Once you had made it closer to the scene of the disaster, you could see that there was a lot going on within the wreckage: people screaming while trying to stay afloat, groups of people crammed onto dingies, flames rising from fragments of the ship. However, there was one sight in particular that caught your attention; a man floating lifelessly in the opposite direction. You decided that you should go to him first, as he was completely helpless.

You felt bad for this, but the first thing that you noticed once you had reached him was how strikingly beautiful he was; not the cut on his forehead, nor the fact that he was floating unconscious on a scrap of wood in the middle of the sea. He was very handsome, you thought, as his shoulder length hair lay messy and undone, with some strands sticking to his face. But of course, none of that was important right now; you had to get him safely to the shore. So, you proceeded to grab hold of his waist. You propelled him down from the scrap of wood, which was keeping him afloat. This brought him down to your level, so you held onto him tightly, and kept him as close to you as possible. You used your mermaid abilities to swim him as fast as you could to the shore. Admittedly it was harder to swim fast, while also carrying another person. However, you still made it to the shore relatively quickly. Clearly all of your time spent swimming back and forth between Port Royal and Rumrunner's Isle had paid off. Once you had reached the shore you laid him down on the sand, and just as you did this, his eyes started to flutter open.

"Hello", you said to him, unsure of how else to handle the confusing situation that you were in.

He looked confused, which was understandable given that he had just been knocked unconscious in a shipwreck, but then he glanced behind you and immediately jumped up in fear.

"W-what a-are you?" He said, while slipping his sword out from his scabbard and pointing it at you. You looked behind to see your tail sprawled out, resting on the shoreline. Your tail looked quite magnificent, you thought, shimmering an iridescent glow in the sunlight.

"Dammit" you were becoming frustrated. You had been so preoccupied with saving him that you had momentarily forgotten about the fact that you were a mermaid.

"Look, it's ok" you said, while putting your hands up in defence, but truly you were panicking over the fact that someone else knew your secret, "I'm a mermaid, but I come in peace. I don't want to hurt you, I just saw you out in that shipwreck and dragged you ashore, that's all."

"You're actually a mermaid?" He was utterly perplexed.

"Yes" you responded.

"Really?"

"I'm not sure how I could make it much clearer" you said sarcastically "I mean, I am sitting here with a fully-grown tail".

"That's really quite brilliant" he smiled, while lowering his sword.

"You really think so?" You were completely shocked at his sheer adoration of you, nevermind the fact that he had just immediately accepted you for what you were.

"I do; mythical creatures being real...it's very exciting" he gushed "Especially one as beautiful as the mermaid".

This made you blush.

"I'll have to ask you to keep this a secret though" you explained, "If word got out that I was a mermaid, lord knows what would happen to me. I could end up being experimented on for the rest of my life."

"Of course" he smiled, "Your secret's safe with me"

'Relieved' wasn't a strong enough word to describe what you felt in this moment. To have someone see you as you truly are, and not just merely accept you, but for him to gush over you...that was something far beyond relief. You found yourself overwhelmed with appreciation for his words.

"I must thank you for saving my life" he commended you "What's your name?"

"(Y/n L/n)" you responded.

"Well (Y/n L/n), thank you for your bravery today" he smiled while looking directly into your eyes, caushing you to blush again, "If not for you, then I could be dead right now."

"Oh it was no trouble at all" you tried to downplay your actions, "Besides, i'm a very fast swimmer so it wasn't too hard".

"Really? Is that a perk of being a mermaid?" He asked.

"Something like that" You smiled.

"By any chance, could you help me get to that hut over there?" You pointed, "I use it to dry off after being in the water". You had spent quite some time building that hut out of old scraps and pieces of wood that you found on the beach. You even brought some blankets from your house, so that you could hide your tail if someone was to walk by. You spent so much time there that it almost started to feel like your home.

"Certainly" he nodded, and with one swift movement he lifted you up and held you in his arms.

"I just realised; I don't even know your name" You said

"Will" he responded "Will Turner" and with that, he carefully carried you through the forested area of the beach, up to your hut."

___________________________________________________________________________

A/n: Part two coming soon :)

[queenofglassbeliever]

The Four Amigos in Once Upon A Time

Adria Arjona as Elena Castillo Flores. Age range (16-28). Crown princess and later queen of Avalor, Elena was trapped in a magical amulet for 41 years before she was freed by her distant relative, Ella. With Ella's help, along with help from Ella's friends Henry and Regina, Elena took her kingdom back from the evil sorceress Shuriki.

Rafael Silva as Gabriel Núñez. Age range (18-30) General Gabe Núñez, formerly captain of the guard, is one of Elena's best friends. Brave and loyal, he would lay down his life to protect those he loves and Avalor.

Chloë Grace Moretz as Naomi Turner. Age range (15-27). The Royal Chancellor of Avalor, Naomi was formerly a member of the Grand Council. She was born in the Magical Forest, but was raised in Avalor since she was two. Having grown up in Avalor Harbor, she was chosen by Elena to serve on the council because of her pragmatism and perseverance.

Jorge Lendeborg Jr. as Mateo de Alva. Age range (16-28). Mateo is the Royal Wizard of Avalor. The grandson of the former Royal Wizard, Alacazar, Mateo was born with magic. However, he was forced to hide it because of Queen Shuriki's ban on magic. But that didn't stop him from practicing in secret.

Elena's family/The Royal Family

Lillianna Valenzuela and Rachel Zegler as Isabel Castillo Flores. Age range (10-22). Valenzuela as Isabel ages 10-14. Zegler as Isabel ages 15-22. Princess Isabel is Elena's little sister. With a mind for science and engineering, she becomes Avalor's Royal Inventor. She, along with her maternal grandparents, was imprisoned in an enchanted painting where none of them aged for 41 years.

Tony Plana as Francisco Flores and Alma Martinez as Luisa Flores. Age range (old enough). Francisco and Luisa are the maternal grandparents of Elena. Francisco is a member of a very old noble Avaloran family. He had a sister, Josefina Flores (oc) who married a baron from the Magical Forest. Their great granddaughter is Ella. Luisa is from another Avaloran noble family, but the family fell on hard times. Luisa's grandparents opened up a chocolate shop, La Vida Dulce, which was closed down during Shuriki's rule. At some point Luisa reopens the shop. Francisco and Luisa were both members of the Grand Council.

David DeSantos as Esteban Flores. Age range (50s-60s, but appears 30s-40s because he exfoliates). Esteban is the maternal first cousin of Elena and Isabel. His mother, Margarita, was the sister of their mother, Lucia. When Esteban was little, his parents died in a blizzard at sea. He was raised by his grandparents. As a teenager, he felt unseen and desired power. He agreed to help Shuriki invade Avalor in exchange for political power under her reign. He made Shuriki promise that his family would be unharmed. Shuriki had no intention of keeping the promise and assassinated his aunt and uncle, Queen Lucia and King Raul. Esteban was the only member to age during Shuriki's 41 years of rule. Around 3 years after Shuriki's defeat, Esteban's involvement in her take over was revealed and he was banished from Avalor. His family did eventually forgive him and he was welcomed back home.

[tabloidtoc]

Us, July 27

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Kelly Preston’s tragic final days

Page 4: Who Wore It Best? Draya Michele vs. Betty Gilpin vs. Emmanuelle Chriqui ✅ vs. Heidi Montag vs. Nina Dobrev in a Signature corset jumpsuit 

Page 6: Loose Talk -- Demi Lovato on how lockdown has helped her emotional growth, Keke Palmer on the Black Lives Matter movement, Thandie Newton on eventually naming names from her early days in Hollywood, Charlize Theron sharing how stressful it was to teach her kids during the pandemic, Orlando Bloom gushing about how he can’t wait to meet his future daughter with Katy Perry 

Page 8: Contents 

Page 10: Hot Pics -- Jennifer Lopez in the middle of a donut-shaped pool float 

Page 12: Selena Gomez in her yard, Ireland Baldwin goes for a dip in the Pacific 

Page 13: Expectant parents Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner step out to grab a bite in matching masks, Duchess Camilla and Prince Charles pay their respects at an Asda distribution center 

Page 14: Sarah Jessica Parker at the grand opening of her flagship shoe store, Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union let loose at an outdoor party

Page 16: Hot Wheels -- these famous dudes ride in style -- Justin Bieber and J Balvin, Machine Gun Kelly and Mod Sun, Jesse Metcalfe, Dominic Cooper, George Clooney 

Page 17: Wiz Khalifa, Ewan McGregor in a VW Camper, Miles Teller 

Page 18: Sweet Escape -- stars stretch their legs in distant places -- Chrissy Teigen in Cabo San Lucas, Dua Lipa and Anwar Hadid in St. Lucia, Kylie Jenner in Canyon Point, Utah 

Page 19: Shay Mitchell in Vancouver, Mario Lopez and wife Courtney in Lake Tahoe, Kevin Hart on a yacht, Brooke Burke in Page, Arizona 

Page 20: Checkered Out -- A-listers are mad for plaid face masks -- Busy Philipps, Reese Witherspoon, Patrick Dempsey, Mindy Kaling 

Page 22: Stars They’re Just Like Us -- Malin Akerman loads up on groceries, Taye Diggs and son Walker toss around a ball, Prince William drinks beer, Adam Sandler pumps gas 

Page 23: Owen Wilson buys fresh fruit, Ayesha and Stephen Curry go hiking, Brooke Shields drops off the mail 

Page 24: Love Lives -- Bindi Irwin and Chandler Powell being newlyweds during a pandemic has been a whirlwind 

Page 25: Carrie Underwood and Mike Fisher have made it to their 10th anniversary, Russell Wilson still knows how to make Ciara giddy with joy, Sarah Hyland is OK with putting her wedding to Wells Adams on hold 

Page 26: Hollywood Moms -- Kelly Rowland on her son Titan 

Page 27: Rebecca Gayheart is adamant about teaching daughter Billie and Georgia the importance of giving back, Kenya Moore and Marc Daly are still figuring things out in their marriage but they’re talking about having baby No. 2, Christina Milian talks about coparenting daughter Violet with ex-husband The-Dream 

Page 28: Hot Hollywood -- Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie on good terms -- they’re putting their differences aside for the sake of their children 

Page 29: After everything Meghan Markle’s estranged father Thomas Markle has put her through he still wants a relationship but Meghan isn’t interested -- the only relative in Meghan’s inner circle is her mom Doria Ragland who’s been helping with 14-month-old Archie, Lisa Marie Presley is beside herself after son Benjamin Keough died by suicide at age 27, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith are sticking together through thick and thin 

Page 30: A Day in the Life -- Hilaria Baldwin 

Page 31: In a recent interview Thandie Newton admitted to being so scared of Tom Cruise while filming 2000′s Mission: Impossible 2 and a few days after the jaw-dropping interview Cruise’s ex-wife Katie Holmes gave the actress what seemed like tacit agreement by following Thandie on Instagram 

Page 32: Cover Story -- Remembering Kelly Preston -- fans and loved ones including husband John Travolta mourn her death 

Page 34: Naya Rivera -- heartbreak on the lake -- the world’s worst fears are realized after Naya who went missing on July 8 is finally found 

Page 36: Jessica Simpson forty and fabulous 

Page 42: Beauty -- light up your staycation with a candle that creates the ambience of your dreams 

Page 44: Us Musts -- Ben and Jessa Seewald of Counting On on their growing family 

Page 45: Ester Dean on Songland 

Page 46: Fashion Police -- denim edition -- Sela Vave, Jennifer Lopez, Maisie Williams 

Page 47: Celine Dion, Cara Delevingne, Kim Kardashian 

Page 48: 25 Things You Don’t Know About Me -- Danica McKellar 

[birdwholanded]

The Goldfinch (Spoiler)

If you want to read the Goldfinch for yourself to get your own understanding and opinion on it, read it for yourself before you read this because this is what I thought about it for myself.

    Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch is divided into the chapters Boy with a Skull, The Anatomy Lesson, Park Avenue, Morphine Lollipop, Badr al-Dine, Wind Sand and Stars, The Shop-Behind-the-Shop, The Shop-Behind the Shop, continued, Everything of Possibility, The Idiot, The Gentleman’s Canal, and The Rendezvous Point. At the beginning of the book there is a quote ,“He’s telling you that living things don’t last-it’s all temporary. Death in life. That’s why they’re called natures mortes. Maybe you don’t see it at first with all of the beauty and bloom, the little speck of rot. But if you look closer-there it is.” (24) I like this quote because I can relate to this. My grandfather passed away from cancer in December of last year while my aunt was also very ill with leukemia during the time. My hamster passed away and so did both of my parakeets. I didn’t know how to take it when my parakeet passed away at the bottom of his cage with his feet up in the air. It affected me a lot. My mom took him out of his cage and made him a nice home in a box with tissue paper and clothes so he could rest nicely in them. My mom and I had a funeral for him and said nice things about him and the memories that we had about him and then I buried him underneath a tree in my backyard. My hamster was breathing heavily and his heart stopped beating one morning when my dad woke up. He woke me up by coming into my room and telling me that he had passed away overnight. We put him in a nice box too and buried him by my parakeet. I did not know how to cope with the avalanche of sickness and death that has happened to my family members and my pets at the end of last year and the beginning of this year. I grieved in my own way because it was a really sad time. I felt like I shut off and became angry at the world because I did not understand why things happened the way that they did. My family also lost a distant family member this year from a heart attack.       People cope with loss in different ways too. It is very personal.       I enjoyed the section of the book where his mother gave him the painting to keep and hold on to to remember her by. It is a keepsake and an heirloom.   A mother was taking her student son to an art gallery in New York City but an explosion went off in the gallery while they were inside and everyone was rushing to try to escape the gallery. The son left, but the mother never did. She passed away in the explosion and the son has to come to terms with it and where he is going from there. He doesn’t have a home to stay at anymore so the social workers want to put him with his grandparents, but his grandmother’s back is going out and she can’t take care of him properly. He feels out of place and he doesn’t belong anywhere. “But suicide wasn’t the ansswer.” (93) He felt isolated and disconnected. He wanted to go back in time.     His father is not a presence in his life when he is living in New York. He is irritated and cold a lot of the time. He doesn’t  like to come home and wants to stay out drinking. It is described that he has a lot of stressors on his mind and that he even wants to move to Atlantic City and start over again. He is fearful. The son can’t look up to him because he doesn’t want to be involved with anything. The son is taken to a home where his friend is in AP classes and he is dedicated to his studies so he can’t do anything because all of his time is taken up. He watches old Turner classic movies to distract himself. Theo misses his mom and questions if he could have done things differently to prevent her death while he is staying at the temporary house. He wants to leave the house but he has nowhere to go. Theo wants to disappear and hide. He goes to therapy and while he is there he thinks about a girl named Pippa that he saw at the museum with his mom when the explosion happened. He cannot get Pippa off of his mind and he fantasizes about her. He meets with her and he finds out that she is moving away to Texas because her mother had passed away too so she is looking to start a new chapter in a new location. A fresh start.      He gets to move in with his father in Las Vegas and is charmed by his father’s lifestyle. It is a completely different lifestyle living with his father and girlfriend than living with his temporary housing family Andy and the Barbours. He meets a guy named Borris in his class in school and Boris lived in Ukraine and Russia and he introduced him to that culture. Boris is a main character in the book and is almost Theo’s wingman. Boris is not a good influence for him because he introduces him to a darker lifestyle.       Theo, the narrator of the story gets early admission to go to college and he goes into a European film class. His friends are taking classes like intro to Russian literature. The book, The Idiot by Doeskevsky is referenced too and philosophical things are taken out of the book and questioned by Boris near the resolution of the book. He has a painting called the goldfinch that his mother gave him. When the explosion at the art gallery happened, some paintings got ruined.       He discovers that his friend Andy had died and he is contemplating death some more.     I liked how the beginning of the book connected to the end of it in the way that it explains the characters’ fate and circumstances. At the beginning of the book he is in Amsterdam, but it is not explained why he is there until the ending of the book where he commit capital murder to save the painting his dead mother gave to him.  “It was a social and moral lesson, if nothing else. But for all foreseeable time to come-for as long as history was written, until the icecaps melted and the streets of Amsterdam were awash with water-the painting would be remembered and mourned. Who knew, or cared, the names of the Turks who blew the roof off the Parthenon? The mullahs who had ordered the destruction of the Buddhas at Bamiyan? Yet living or dead:their acts stood. It was the worst kind of immorality. Intentionally or no:I had extinguished a light in the heart of the world. An act of God:that was what the insurance companies called it, catastrophe so random or arcane that there was otherwise no taking the measure of it. Probability was one thing, but some events fell so far outside the actuarial tables that even insurance underwriters were compelled to haul in the supernatural in order to explain them-rotten luck, as my father had said mournfully one night out by the pool, dusk falling hard, smoking Viceroy to keep the mosquitoes away, one of the few times he tried to talk to me about my mother’s death, why do bad things happen, why me, why her, wrong place wrong time, just a fluke kid, one in a million not an evasion or copout in anyway but-I recognized, coming from him-a profession of faith and the best answer he had to give me, on par with Allah Has Written It or It’s the Lord’s Will, a sincere bowing of the head to Fortune, the greatest god he knew.” (701-702)      He describes going through drug withdrawals in some parts of the book and he talks about morphine, xanax, oxycontin, riboxycotin. He was snorting coke too. His father was taking vicodin which is hydrocodone. I didn’t expect for there to be so much discussion about drug use. The father relies on drugs to ease his situation. He got sober however. The father was addicted to drugs because of the relationship he had with his wife, the mother of Theo. The husband and wife got at each other’s throats and they would argue. He didn’t appreciate the situation he had when he was around her. He tried to escape. I think drug use is escapism but is also used for relaxation. Cigarettes, marijuana, alcohol are ok to use because they are soft drugs that put one at ease. When one starts to use hard drugs like cocaine, then it is not so good because they rely on it for its effects and get addicted to it. They have to get enough money for drugs too. It’s a cycle that is hard to break because one always craves the drug rush. I have smoked cigarettes and marijuana and I drink. I don’t care if people drink. I don’t care what people do unless it is illegal. I think that things are ok in moderation.     The Goldfinch is about appreciating every moment in life whether good or bad, its ups and downs because it's a very rare and precious thing. One has to appreciate life because at any second one’s relative could pass away in a car accident, shooting, etc not to say that it will happen, but anything and everything is to be expected and can happen. The Goldfinch is a rare creature that moves quickly. One moment it could be here and the next moment it can be flying away and migrating to a different location with its species to be never seen again for a while.  When I was reading this book, I went outside to sit in my backyard and continue to read and I had my parakeet and dog sitting outside with me. I went inside the house to get something, but my dog alo wanted to come inside the house at the same time while my parakeet’s cage was very close by. My dog was biting my pants trying to get inside the house first, and I had slightly kicked him trying to get him to stop biting me, but in doing that, my parakeet’s cage had toppled over into the flower bed by accident and my parakeet was free. She tried to fly away through a hole in our fence to get into my neighbor’s yard, however I was quick enough to come and get my mom to help save her, because I had thought that I had lost her. She did not go very far and was stuck in the fence. My mom was able to get a hold of her and put her back in her cage. I had fixed her cage after it had fallen down. It was scary because she could have easily been gone for good like my two other parakeets. My parakeet looks like a gold finch because she is golden and bright like the sun. I call her sundrop. Her name is Coronja.        ‘...if bad can sometimes come from good actions-? Where does it ever say, anywhere,that only bad can come from bad actions? Maybe sometimes-the wrong way is the right way? You can take the wrong path and it still comes out to where you want to be? Or, spin it another way, sometimes you can do everything wrong and it still turns out to be right?....What if all your actions and choices, good or bad make no difference to God? What if the pattern is pre set?...What if our badness and mistakes are the very thing that set our fate and bring us round to good? What if, for some of us, we can’t get there any other way?”  (745-746) This quote discusses predestination. The idea of if you will go to heaven or hell or some other universe. “Predestination is the doctrine that all events have been willed by God usually reference to the eventual fate of the individual soul.” (wikipedia.org) “Explanations of predestination often seek to address the paradox of free will.” (wikipedia.org) “Therefore as predestination includes the will to confer grace and glory so also reprobation includes the will to permit a person to fall into sin and impose the punishment of damnation on account of that sin.” (wikipedia.org)     “It’s not hard to see the human in the finch. Dignified, vulnerable. One prisoner looking at another...the bird looks out at us…” (766) From this quote I get the idea of reincarnation and that animals do have human characteristics. Animals have little souls that are like people. They have common traits that cannot be denied.       “...wade straight through it, right through the cesspool, while keeping eyes and heart open. And in the midst of our dying, as we rise from the organic and sink back ignominiously into the organic, it is a glory and privilege to love what Death doesn’t touch. For if disaster and oblivion have followed this painting down through time-so too has love. Insofar as it is immortal (and it is) I have a small bright, immutable part in that immortality. It exists; and it keeps on existing. And I add my own love to the history of people who have loved beautiful things, and looked out for them, and pulled them from the fire, and sought them when they were lost, and tried to preserve them and save them while passing them along literally from hand to hand, singing out brilliantly from the wreck of time to the next generation of lovers and the next.” (771) This quote talks about even though people are unhappy,achy, fragile, unhealthy and sick, there is still a bright side to things and to see things through, like my grandfather. My grandfather had given up in his elderly age and would lay on his couch and just watch the news or the stock market. He did not want to have that much of an existence when he got old. He had a stroke when I was ten years old and he could not get around that much and his speech was slurred. He had to go to physical therapy. The main message of the book is to say don’t take anything for granted and to be appreciative because everything can be taken away in an instant and your whole life can change by the small actions that you choose to make or not to make.  At the beginning of the story, the main character is on house arrest in Amsterdam and it ties in with the ending of the story to say that he is on House Arrest for the actions he decided to make. He cannot appreciate the city of Amsterdam and everyone there knows him as a criminal. He got charged with capital murder and has to stay where the cops knows where he is at.     People move quickly and do make poor decisions that affect them for the rest of their lives. Small choices have a great impact being if you commit a crime such as embezzling money, committing fraud, stealing, etc then you will have big punishments. It affects a lot of people in negative ways. People’s feelings can get hurt and everything can change for the worse in a matter of seconds.         It is difficult to deal with death of loved ones and animals and even the idea of it is scary and hard to come to terms with. When there are situations where one is faced with it, he or she can make harsh decisions that they will regret later on whatever they may be. Things can be altered so much that there could be no going back to the way things were. Small events can have a large impact. In the heat of the moment though, anything can happen, and regrets made. That is why it is important to be appreciative and loving to everyone, because people can grieve over the loss of their pet, over their loss of money, over the loss of a friend, etc. Even if you don’t want to wake up day after day after day because you did have loved ones pass away, you still need to wake up for yourself and see the good in everything because there are so many wonderful things to appreciate and cherish, so many opportunities to be had and loved and memories to be made. Love the pets that you have and love your family and friends. Cherish everything because everyone and everything is valuable and meaningful and adds to the quality of your life.       Theo comes to terms with his mother’s passing and grows from it and learns how to live with it.      Donna Tartt, the author of The Goldinch, puts in philosophical ideas and examples in this book that I appreciate. She uses quotes from Albert Camus, “The absurd does not liberate; it binds.” What I understand of this quote is absurdity doesn’t make one free, it ties one down and wraps one up. She uses another quote, “When we are strongest-who draws back? Most merry-who falls down laughing? When we are very bad,-what can they do to us?” This is said by the French poet Arthur Rimbaud. I get from this quote that who is there to watch people fall when times are hard? “We are so accustomed to disguise ourselves to others, that in the end, we become disguised to ourselves.” is a quote by François De La Rochefoucauld. Rochefoucauld is a noted French author of maxims and memoirs. He is part of the literary movement of classicism and is best known for his maxisms. “It is not flesh and blood, but heart which makes us fathers and sons.” by Schiller. I like this quote because people have hearts and want to enjoy the good things and get past the bad things that happen.    “We have art in order not to die from the truth.”-Nietzsche.     Tartt grabs philosophical examples from The Little Prince in some parts of the book.  

[taww]

Review: Valvet Soulshine Tube Preamplifier by MGD

Marty DeWulf passed away about a month after submitting this review. His work was always an inspiration to me and it was a privilege to share his thoughts on this hobby he loved so much. RIP Marty - you are missed.

There was a time when two high-end audio companies dominated the conversation and the market regarding tube electronics. In the 1970s, Audio Research and conrad-johnson were the first, last and every word when it came to valves. There were other small tube manufacturers around, but they were basically garage-based start-ups, poorly financed with minimal budgets and little business savvy. It was a world populated by solid state and companies carrying the flag for “modern” transistor designs. It seems ironic that back in the 1970s when transistors were so predominant, they sounded their worst… the format was much less than mature.

Related Reading:

First Take Review: Valvet Soulshine Preamplifier & A4 Mk.II Amplifier

Thumbing through a current audiophile publication today, whether it be online or in the pages of a magazine, tube products abound. They come with names from companies I’ve never heard of before, and from faraway places. Go away for a few years and the scenery changes drastically… I feel so old. Fortunately, I’m still friends with @taww, who sends me stuff to listen to and write about. When I first talked to him years ago he wasn’t a fan of tube gear. If I recall, he thought valves to be totally inaccurate and euphonic sounding. [Okay, maybe that’s a little harsh, but yes I strongly preferred solid state accuracy.] I too, was a solid state guy. The dynamic range, frequency extension and clarity of modern solid state electronics have had me on their side for many years. But then, I heard the Monarchy M24 tube DAC and saw it as a true head turner with its tube section. [So did I! I bought my Monarchy NM24 review unit and it was my reference DAC for years, tubes and all.] 

The Monarchy wasn’t the first great tube product in my experience. I’d reviewed a tube preamp from Musical Designs that was a budget wonder, and over the years I’d heard a number of Audio Research products that seemed to bridge the gap between reality and sonic illusion in palpable ways. [Don’t forget Audible Illusions and Joule Electra, I remember you liked those too.] Some very fine tube products had served to weaken my wall of valve resistance and solid state preference, so much so, that I would eventually purchase an all tube preamp from SAS, as did fellow BFS writer Rich Weiner. Still, when it came down to absolutes; dynamic edges, front to back transparency, frequency extension and tonal trueness, my overall preferences always lead me down the road of the better solid state units, the Pass Labs XP10 for example.

When @miy-taww​ suggested that I audition the tube preamplifier from Valvet certain expectations immediately arose; it’s a tube preamp after all. In certain ways, valves are valves and they behave predictably, especially basic designs such as the Valvet. He gave me a rundown of the circuit employed and the choice of tubes. A picture of the unit’s performance was forming in my head even before my ears had heard it. The Soulshine preamplifier from Valvet (USD $5,890) was unique to me in several ways. Handmade in Germany, its parts selection was insanely high with premium resistors and exotic caps in abundance, all hand-wired with solid-core silver. It looked to be a new interpretation of an old theme. 

[Note: An upgraded version, the Soulshine IIz ($8,890), is now available. The original Soulshine reviewed here is still available on order for $5,890 through its US distributor, Alfred Kainz of highend-electronics.]

Design & Operation

A few words about the physical construction of the Soulshine. Like so many quality preamps before it, the Soulshine has a separate chassis for its power supply and control sections. Constructed of thicker than the usual aluminum billet, the appearance is low slung, clean and high tech. I like the way it looks. The front face, following the theme of clean futurism, has a chrome knob for the stepped-attenuator volume control and another for input selection (four line-level inputs, one of which is balanced XLR). To the right of the volume control is a window with numeric volume level displayed with blue LEDs; with one number for both channels, there is no way of setting left to right balance. The tradeoff is one less control in the signal path. 

The rear panel of the preamp allows for single ended as well as balanced operation, though @miy-taww​ informed me that the internal circuit is not truly balanced even when using the balanced connectors. [ On closer examination, it appeared that the inverting half of the balanced signal is referenced to signal ground internally. @miy-taww​ ] On an operational note, I consistently had to allow the preamp about 30 minutes warm-up time at the beginning of each listening session to obtain its best.

The Soulshine has a remote control for volume changes while its listener is firmly planted in a comfy listening chair. Unlike my last experience with a tube preamp employing remote volume control, the Valvet was quiet, responsive and easy to use. This is the way a remote should be configured – simple and easy to use. The lone problem I had with operating the Valvet came from trying to find the on/off switch…. which took me an embarrassingly long time to find (hint, it’s underneath the power supply).

Sonics

Having a pre-established vision of what the Valvet would sound like before it even arrived, I can now report that my expectations were only partially right. First off, let me mention the output impedance of the Valvet is 400 Ohms. Because of that, the input impedance of the power amp you are using is not going to impact the sonics of the preamp substantially. What I didn’t expect were the results obtained by using amps with high, medium and low input impedances; the preamp performed consistently regardless of the amplifier used. Frequency extremes stayed relatively consistent with each amp used. That was a big surprise. What did change was stage size as I went from one amp to another. With the Pass Labs XA30.5′s lowish input impedance (30 kOhms balanced, 15 kOhms unbalanced), the soundstage was somewhat smaller and a bit laid back. Going up in impedance resulted in a nominally larger stage and slightly deeper bass response, but little else.

Let me talk about the Valvet with the low input impedance Pass Labs amp. I didn’t expect these two products to work well at all, but the combo proved almost hypnotic sounding as my initial auditions with the two lasted far longer than anticipated. The performance with the Pass wasn’t so much like having the instruments and singers in the room, a phenomenon I’ve come to expect with my Pass amp and preamp combo. With the Pass and the Valvet it was slightly more distant, while still being super vivid, substantial and picturesque. It was almost like listening to an aural View-Master. Remember the toy from the 60s? It has two eye holes and a lever to press that advanced a round disc with photos that presented to each eye a slightly different version of a scene, usually outdoors, that resulted in the user seeing an almost unrealistically vivid, 3D, and real appearing vista. The sense of 3D depth was stunning using the Valvet and Pass with dense color tones and detailing that resulted in a reach out and touch it quality, a rare synergy between a solid state amp with a valve preamp. It was like being there, except on a smaller scale, a scale in which reality seemed to fit on a smaller stage. The Valvet preamp with the Pass amp was very much like the View-Master. It had a superbly grainless presentation with depth and dimension galore. I thought about how photos of Yosemite in my View-Master seemed like being there one frame at a time – just smaller. Listening to Red Norvo’s, Forward Look struck me as a less-than-forward look at the performance that was in every other way as alive and dimensionally solid as my old Yosemite View-Master images. 

View-Master ad, c. 1955 (source: Santa Barbara Museum of Art)

Dynamics were proportional to image size with good edge and bite, though not to the extent I expect from the best solid state preamps. Interestingly, while large bass and kettle drums when struck with the Valvet didn’t have the visceral punch of my Pass preamp, the Valvet conveyed as much big drum volume as any preamp I’ve ever heard. Going to power amps with input impedances higher than that of the Pass, such as my rebuilt Dayton Wright 500 (75 kOhms), increased the size of the soundstage, brought it forward, while causing the same to be ever so slightly less dense.

Purity. Whereas solid state preamps seem to more easily engender the quality of transparency, sometimes to the extreme, the best tube preamps in my experience have a quality I prefer to call purity. It’s a feeling thing, a sensation that one preamp feels more like “transparency” and the other feels more like “purity.” Yes, that’s a cop out. Then again, I’m not sure I’m capable of defining the two in such a manner so as to come up with a better definition of the two terms. Presently, I use transparency and purity with the understanding that with time, the two might eventually define themselves with some clarity. I fear that the difference in the two terms is more of a gut feeling rather than something clearly tangible emanating from the Webster’s dictionary. Let’s work on this.

Listening to Judy Collins “Send in the Clowns” [Tidal, Qobuz], the Valvet swims in a feeling of humanity - a female life was in the room singing in a form and fashion that highlighted inflection and elemental emotion over power or presence. Not that power and presence were not there, they were, but those qualities were subservient to the sensation of un-hyped reality; a reality formed and fashioned around the sensation of the tangible. It’s a reality that the previous tube preamp covered by me missed in total. The midrange rightness of the Valvet makes all of the exciting details of the music come to the fore, while never seeming to observe the performance through a microscope. Extreme transparency, on the other hand, not only draws attention to itself, but forces the listener, on many occasions, to focus his/her attention on aspects of the performance that are sometimes less than musical. The performance takes on less importance than the sonic fireworks used to stimulate the senses of the listener. Take your pick; the Valvet, though transparent in the best sense of the word, is more pure in its intentions and performance than almost any other preamp I’ve auditioned.

Comparing the Valvet to my Pass Labs XP10 preamp ($5,250 before being replaced by the XP12) resulted in exactly the results one might expect. These two preamps are of unquestionable quality, each passing the signal sent to it as close to perfect as one could want. But they differ, and the careful listener has no difficulty telling the one from the other. I might describe them as saying that where they converge on a singular sound, neither sounds too much like the other; they maintain their individual characters while each seeks a somewhat different though idealized vision of reality. Yes, I’ll give the frequency extremes to the Pass, even the highest highs. Gross dynamics have a small advantage with the Pass also, though it is a minimal advantage. Where they differ, and where the Valvet will have an advantage to some ears is in the area of midrange coherence and that mystery word “purity.” And while the Pass also strikes me as having a high degree of purity in its reproduction, the Valvet goes there in spades, swooping up the listener in a tsunami of musical coherence. The lens of the Valvet is one of musicality, but also of great organic texture, heart and warmth. Now, these later qualities are also found with the Pass - it too delivers a wonderfully picturesque portrayal of the performance - but the Pass tends toward back-of-the-stage “air” and transparency, and the Valvet toward purity. A logical case can be made for either preamp, and I loved listening to both, but I feel the Pass appeals more to my mind as the Valvet harkens more to my heart. Combine the purity of the Valvet with its View-Master spatial qualities, and this preamp conjures up my first memories of auditioning the original SP-10 from Audio Research, so advanced it sounded and how it stood out from other tube preamps I had heard back then. 

Conclusion

If you tend toward tube preamps and yet are unwilling to live with some of their greater failings, the Valvet is a marvelous place to go. The price is not unsubstantial, but when compared to some of the more insanely priced products out there that don’t sound as good, this is a fine place to end up. Thanks to Valvet distributor Alfred Kainz of highend-electronics and @miy-taww​ for allowing me the opportunity to audition this marvelous device.